


Spacemon: Tales & Transmissions

by DisturbedShadow



Series: Spacemon - A Pokemon Tabletop Story [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Space, Artificial Intelligence, Betrayal, Bounty Hunters, Character Death, Children, Conspiracy, Cybernetics, Dark, Death, Depression, Exploration, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Feels, Female Friendship, Female Protagonist, First Love, Foreshadowing, Gen, Government, Gritty, Hackers, Heist, Laboratories, Legendary Pokemon - Freeform, Lesbian Character, Love, Mad Scientists, Major Original Character(s), Male Friendship, Male Protagonist, Male-Female Friendship, Mercenaries, Military, Minor Character Death, Original Universe, Orphans, Outer Space, POV Female Character, POV First Person, POV Male Character, POV Minor Character, POV Multiple, POV Original Character, POV Third Person, Past Tense, Plot Twists, Pokeball(s), Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Battle, Pokemon Death, Pokemon Fanfiction, Pokemon Gym, Politics, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Present Tense, Redemption, Religion, Revenge, Role-Playing Game, Romance, Science, Science Experiments, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Space Battles, Space Exploration, Space Flight, Space Opera, Space Pirates, Space Stations, Spaceships, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Tabletop RPG, Team, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Teamwork, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Trauma, space travel, tabletop role-playing game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2018-09-25 21:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9847520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisturbedShadow/pseuds/DisturbedShadow
Summary: Spacemon: Tales & Transmissions is a collection of loosely-related standalone stories set in the Spacemon universe between the events of the two main campaigns. Spacemon is a story adaptation of a Pokemon tabletop RPG campaign played using the Pokemon Tabletop United (PTU) system! It follows a group of Pokemon trainers as they travel the Galaxy, working to stop a dark conspiracy and uncover the true origin of life. This particular collection bridges a 50 year gap and features a variety of writing styles and themes.





	1. Road to Recovery

Darkened holding cells lined the walls of the rusted metal corridor. It seemed to stretch on indefinitely before Alex as she slowly walked forward. Indistinct shadowy figures lurked behind the sealed glass doors of the chambers, mocking, taunting, judging. She couldn’t bear to look at them. Instead, she kept her focus on the end of the corridor. On her goal. However, try as she might, it never seemed to draw any nearer. No matter how many cells she passed, Alex was greeted by the sight of more slowly appearing out of the darkness. Despite the seemingly impossible challenge, the girl continued to press on. She had to. He was waiting for her.

 _Hold on, Dad_ , she thought. _I’m coming to save you._

Alex picked up her pace, determined to reach the end of the never ending hallway. The cells began rushing past, faster and faster as she broke into a run. Even when she reached her maximum speed, the rate at which the walls were accelerating past the girl continued to increase. Confused, she stopped running to find that she was still moving forward as if some invisible force was pulling her along. _How is that possible?_ she wondered.

Before Alex could make sense of things, a scream came echoing down the corridor from the far end. It was her own. Then, a giant hand formed from twisted black shadows rushed forth from the darkness and wrapped its spindly fingers around the girl. She tried to scream, but the sound died in her throat.

With a swift motion, the hand dragged Alex into the darkness, causing her head to jerk backward violently. And then, it stopped. She found herself in a cell, standing before her father. A knife blade was lodged in his throat, the wound spewing out blood as the haggard man coughed and choked. Alex could only watch in horror as he stepped slowly toward her.

“This... is... all your fault,” Dr. Hawthorne spit out, blood gurgling in his throat.

“No…” Alex said weakly. Her legs felt like they were going to give out.

“This is all your fault,” the dying man repeated. He reached out and grabbed his daughter by the shoulders. “This is all your fault!” he screamed, shaking Alex violently and spewing blood into her face.

“No, I’m sorry. Please,” Alex begged.

“This is all your fault!”

“ _No!_ ” Alex screamed as she bolted upright in bed. She was drenched with sweat and tears were pouring from her eyes.

Within seconds, Alex found herself wrapped in Naomi’s arms. “It’s okay. I’m here,” her lover said comfortingly. “You’re safe. It was only a dream.”

* * *

Flittering rays of the morning sun shone through the window between the blinds, casting shifting strips of light across the bed as a result of the passing skycar traffic outside. Naomi lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling as she gently stroked Alex’s long, luscious dark hair. She had been awake for a good while despite not having to get up for another few minutes, but she was content to lie there, holding her sleeping girlfriend for their duration.

After several moments, Naomi shifted her gaze downward once more. Alex lay on her side with her head resting on Naomi’s shoulder and her left arm, wrapped in a tattoo sleeve depicting Leviathan, lying across her chest. Naomi couldn’t help but smile as she watched the girl sleep; she was glad that she seemed to be resting peacefully now after her night of troubled sleep. The nightmares had been occurring more and more frequently, and Naomi, despite her best efforts, was unsure of how to help. It hurt her to see the girl she cared for so deeply in pain, so she was glad whenever Alex was given reprieve from her inner demons. Naomi leaned her face against the top of Alex’s head and took in a deep breath, relishing in the girl’s scent. It was moments like this that made her wish they could just lay there together forever.

Suddenly, Naomi felt her lover shifting in her arms. Alex yawned and stretched, then turned her gaze upwards toward Naomi with a slight smile on her face. “Hey there, sleepyhead,” Naomi cooed softly as she rubbed her hand along Alex’s shoulder.

“Hey yourself,” Alex said before leaning in for a kiss.

“How’re you feeling?” Naomi asked.

Alex’s smile disappeared. “Better, I guess…”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Not really…”

Naomi felt Alex tensing up. “Are you sure?” she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

“I said I don’t want to talk about it.” Alex turned over to face the wall in a huff, pulling the covers with her.

“Hey, don’t be like that.” Naomi rolled onto her side, pressing herself against her girlfriend’s back and pulling her into a tight embrace. “I’m just trying to help.”

Naomi felt Alex relax a bit. “I know,” the girl said. “I’m sorry… I just… don’t really wanna talk about it.”

“Okay… I’ll let it go, but I’m always here for you. You know that, right?”

“I do, it’s just…” Alex grabbed onto Naomi’s arms and held them against herself.

“I understand. When you’re ready, I’m here.”

The two girls lay there for several more moments, just enjoying each other’s presence, until Naomi’s Pokedex began beeping on the nightstand. Naomi reached across the bed to shut off the alarm, then sat herself up. “Alright, I’ve gotta get ready for class now,” she said as she began pulling her other arm out of Alex’s grasp.

“Stay a bit longer,” her girlfriend pleaded, holding on tightly.

“I can’t, I’ll miss my bus.”

“Alright,” Alex said. She loosened her grip, allowing Naomi to pull her arm away.

One quick shower later, Naomi threw some clothes on, rushed through the rest of her morning routine, then fetched her bag. “Okay, well, I need to head out,” she said as she stepped back into the bedroom to say goodbye. She crouched down next to the bed, then leaned in and gave Alex a gentle kiss. “Try not to stay in bed all day, okay, babe?”

“I’ll try…” Alex replied softly, flashing a weak smile.

“Alright, I’ve gotta run now.” Naomi hopped to her feet. “See you tonight,” she said as she headed for the door. “Love you!”

* * *

It was only after several more hours that Alex was finally able to drag herself out of bed. She would have preferred to just stay there all day, despite what she had told Naomi. On days like these, when her girlfriend was at the university all day, Alex didn’t feel much like doing anything. Deep down, she knew that this wasn’t good for her own well-being, but when left alone for so long, Alex couldn’t help but dwell on her failures. And so she stayed in bed, where it felt safe. However, she could only deny her bodily functions for so long.

It was shortly before the morning ended when Alex finally gave in to her hunger. As much as she had wanted to stay in the comforting warmth of the blankets, her stomach had other plans. So she had made herself some toast, since that was about all she was capable of making on her own.

Having fed herself, Alex remembered that she needed to take care of her Pokemon too. After chastising herself for placing her own desires above the needs of her Pokemon, whose well-being she held to a much higher standard than her own, Alex spent the next several hours tending to them. She made sure they were all well fed and groomed and even found it in herself to venture outside to give those of her Pokemon who needed it the exercise they deserved.

And so, Alex found herself collapsed in a heap on the couch in the apartment she shared with Naomi, completely exhausted. _What is wrong with me?_ she wondered, recalling functioning for days at a time on little to no sleep while traveling aboard the _Helix_. Those had been days full of activity, no less. So how was it that only a couple of hours of light exercise had left her feeling so drained? As Alex pondered this question, her mind drifted back to the nightmares. They just felt so real. It had been over a year since that horrible day, and the dreams still felt just as bad, worse, even. Despite trying to push it to the back of her mind throughout the afternoon, Alex couldn’t get the image of her father’s death out of her mind. Last night’s dream, especially, had ensured that she wouldn’t be forgetting any time soon.

It had been easy to forget back on the _Helix_ , even after the war ended and things had calmed down considerably, but now that she was spending hours at a time alone every day with nothing to do, Alex constantly felt herself slipping back into the spiral of depression she was all too familiar with. Even though Naomi had said time and time again that she could talk to her about anything, Alex didn’t want to burden her any further. _She already has enough on her plate between school and taking care of my worthless ass_ , she would think every time she considered going to her girlfriend with her issues.

So she closed herself off and kept it inside, or at least she tried to. Part of her knew she wasn’t fooling anyone. Not herself, and especially not Naomi; her girlfriend was too perceptive for that. Despite all this, it was somehow easier to pretend that everything was okay, even when it was slowly killing her inside, little by little. For a brief moment, Alex wondered how much longer it would be before she finally snapped. She quickly shoved that thought aside. She had to keep herself together for Naomi’s sake.

As she continued to lay on the couch, Alex let her exhaustion overcome her, and she drifted off again. It was a mistake. Once more, she found herself on that dreaded space station, reliving her father’s death for the millionth time. Once more, she felt completely helpless and alone. Once more, she felt the crippling guilt. Once more, she woke up screaming.

Alex felt lightheaded as she sat up. Her heart was racing and her chest was heaving with each of her rapid, uneven breaths. She tried to take longer, deeper breaths to calm herself, and, eventually, she was able to pull herself together to some extent. Her heart rate had slowed back down at the very least, but she was still trembling a bit. “C’mon, get your shit together,” she berated herself.

Several moments passed as Alex sat there with her head cradled in her hands. She hadn’t felt this terrible in a long time. Not since her father died... Not since he killed himself right in front of her. Alex felt another wave of trembles coming over her. She clenched her fists, hoping it would help somehow.

Eventually, the trembling stopped and Alex felt calmer. It was then that she became aware of her rumbling stomach. She was almost painfully hungry. It had been hours since she last ate, and toast wasn’t very filling after all.

Alex made her way to the kitchen, and began rummaging around in the fridge for something more substantial. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much in the way of food that didn’t require significant preparation. Naomi hadn’t had much time to cook anything recently. Alex wouldn’t mind helping out in the kitchen, but the last time she had tried to cook something had been a total disaster. The whole thing had gone up in flames and she had nearly broken down into tears… That was when she decided to never cook anything ever again.

After a few minutes of searching, Alex managed to find a container of noodles tucked away in the back of the fridge. It was a new recipe that Naomi had tried out last week, and it had been quite delicious. Alex hadn’t realized there was any left. She pulled the container out, the got herself a bowl from the cabinet.

As she spooned the noodles into the bowl, Alex’s hand began trembling again. “Damn it,” she cursed, slamming her fist down on the countertop. It seemed to do the trick, so she finished up and set the bowl in the microwave to reheat. While she waited, Alex leaned against the counter and let out a long sigh. She still felt terrible and the images of her nightmares were still floating around in her brain. She closed her eyes to see him staring back at her. The vision only faded when the microwave beeped.

Alex turned her attention back to her food, and pulled it out. It seemed to be sufficiently heated, and, at this point, she was too hungry to care if it wasn’t. As she made her way over to the table, the trembling kicked back up again, worse than before. Alex let out a yelp of surprise and dismay as the bowl slipped from her hands. It crashed to the floor, spraying noodles, sauce, and bits of ceramic everywhere.

“Oh, no!” Alex cried. “No, no, no…”

She rushed back to the kitchen to fetch something to wipe up the mess, but she didn’t quite make it. It was nothing to freak out about, but with everything that had been happening, it was enough to push her over the edge. Alex slumped to the floor, her back sliding along the cabinet all the way down, and broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

* * *

Avalon’s sun was just sinking below the horizon as Naomi walked along the raised walkway about a block out from the apartment. In her arms she held two brown paper bags containing veggie burgers and fries from the burger place nearby, as well as a pair of milkshakes. It wasn’t the healthiest meal, that was for sure, but Naomi knew it was the perfect thing to surprise her girlfriend with to brighten her day. She knew something was bothering Alex, even if she didn’t want to admit it, so tonight she would cheer her up with one of her favorite meals.

Normally, Naomi would have cooked something up when she got home. She was proud to say that she had become a pretty darn good cook in the last year. It had been a hobby she had picked up back on the _Helix_ as a way to try to give back to the ship’s crew, and she had enjoyed it so much that she had continued honing her skills even after she and Alex left. Today, however, was not a day for cooking, so she had picked up the veggie burgers on her way back from the university.

With a smile on her face, Naomi entered her building and made her way to the elevators. After a quick ride up to the fifty-second floor, she stepped out of the elevator and walked a short distance down the hall to reach her and Alex’s apartment. Balancing the food and drinks against the wall with one arm, Naomi used the other to swipe her Pokedex and unlock the door.

Upon entering the apartment, Naomi found it to be quite dark. “I’m home!” she called out as she stepped inside. “And I’ve got food!”

As she waited for a response, she walked over to the table and set everything she was holding down. “Babe, are you here? I picked up veggie burgers from Stevie’s and I got those milkshakes you love!”

Still no response.

“Alex?” Naomi asked, feeling a bit worried as she scanned the apartment.

As she turned, Naomi spotted shattered bowl of noodles lying on the floor. _Did something happen to her?_ she thought, now feeling very concerned. “ _Alex?_ ”

Suddenly, she heard a small whimper from the kitchen. Without a moment of hesitation, she rounded the corner of the counter to find Alex curled up in a ball on the floor. “Oh my God, are you okay?” Naomi asked as she dashed to her girlfriend’s side. She pulled her into a sitting position and looked her in the eye. She looked like she had been crying, and like she was on the verge of breaking out into tears again at any moment. “What happened?”

Alex said nothing. She simply threw herself into Naomi’s arms and hugged her tight. Naomi gently patted the girl in an attempt to comfort her. “Hey, it’ll be okay.”

“No, it won’t,” Alex said, her voice cracking.

“Whatever happened, it can’t be that bad.”

“I just… I- I- I’m sorry…”

“You don’t need to apologize, but you have to tell me what’s wrong. You have to stop shutting me out.”

“But there’s _so much_ wrong with me. It’s not fair to you… I’m such a mess… You shouldn’t have to put up with me…”

“Put up with you?” Naomi’s expression turned rather serious. “Alex, I love you. More than anything in this universe. Nothing you do will ever change that. I’m here for you even when you’re at your worst. That’s not putting up with you. I just want you to be happy, so, _please_ , let me help you.”

“I don’t think I can be helped…”

“C’mon, don’t say that. There are all kinds of mental health professionals out there, surely there’s someone who can help you.” Naomi flashed Alex a smile. “And besides, you’ve survived through way worse than this. Way worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. You can beat this too, and I’ll be there with you every step of the way. I promise that you will get better.”

Alex remained quiet and simply leaned her head on Naomi’s shoulder. “Thank you,” she finally said after several minutes.

“You don’t need to thank me. I’d do anything for you. Now, whaddya say? Those burgers aren’t gonna eat themselves, y’know.”

* * *

“It’ll be fine.” Naomi placed a reassuring hand on Alex’s arm. “You can do this.”

Alex looked at her smiling girlfriend and felt her anxiety ebb away. There was something about that look in her vibrant green eyes that was extremely comforting to Alex. It was like she knew everything would be okay. “I know. Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” Naomi told her. “It’s okay to be nervous.”

Alex just smiled sheepishly.

“Alright, I need to take off, babe. I’ll see you after class.”

After a peck on the cheek, Naomi departed, leaving Alex to wait alone in the quiet waiting room. There were a few other people there, looking down at their Pokedexes, but the place was mostly empty. Alex sat in her seat, anxiously twiddling her thumbs. She didn’t know what to expect. It had taken only a few calls to find a psychiatrist and set up an appointment. Naomi had insisted that Alex take the first available appointment, so here she was, only a few days later. As she waited for her name to be called, she couldn’t help but feel nervous; she had never done anything like this before.

“Alexandria?”

Alex cringed at the name. She hated when people used her full name. It reminded her too much of her father. Too much of how he didn’t care enough. She figured out a long time ago that he couldn’t even come up with a name for her on his own. Alexandria was the name of the university he taught at. _Don’t think about that now_.

She stood up and followed the woman who called her out of the waiting room. She was led down a wide hallway and into an office.

“Dr. Lynn will be with you in a moment.”

Alex settled into the comfy chair across from the desk and took a look around. The room was relatively barren except for a few holo-frames on the desk. From her position, she couldn’t see what images they displayed.

“Miss Hawthorne?”

Alex turned to see a woman wearing a stylish yet professional outfit, her blond hair pulled back into a neat bun. She had a pleasant smile on her face. Alex stood up to greet her.

“That’s me,” she said nervously.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Lynn,” the doctor said. She extended her hand for a handshake. “I understand you’re having some problems with depression?”

Alex nodded as she took her seat.

“Well, hopefully I’ll be able to help.”

Dr. Lynn spent the next several minutes telling Alex about herself and what kind of treatment she used with her patients. Alex didn’t exactly understand it all, but the doctor seemed to know what she was talking about.

“So, does that sound like something you’d be willing to try?” the doctor asked.

Alex nodded again.

Dr. Lynn smiled. “Alright, why don’t you tell me a little bit about what’s going on? What made you want to seek my help?”

“Well… because of my girlfriend,” Alex answered. “She’s why I’m here…”

“So, you’re saying she made you come here?”

“Oh, no. Nothing like that… I just want to make her happy… She just wants me to be happy…”

“And you aren’t happy now?”

“No.”

“Do you have any idea why that may be?”

And then it was Alex’s turn to talk. For what felt like hours, Alex shared her life story. Dr. Lynn had to pry a few answers out of her in the beginning, but Alex found it easier as they went along. She told the doctor about her father, about living on the streets, about Raj, about everything. Sure, she had told other people about some of those things before— Naomi and Morgan in particular— but something felt different this time.

“Would it be fair to say you blame yourself for what happened to your father?” Dr. Lynn asked.

Alex looked down at the floor. “Yes,” she said quietly.

“Well, I don’t think it is your fault.”

“How is it not my fault? He’d still be alive if it wasn’t for me.”

“From what you’ve told me, I can say that’s not true. It was because of his own actions, not anything you did. I think the first step to healing is to accept that.”

Alex remained silent. _Is that true?_ She didn’t believe it was. _How could it not be my fault?_ Or maybe she just didn’t want to believe it. _This is her job; maybe she’s right_.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” the doctor continued. “But you feel responsible for others’ happiness don’t you?”

Alex thought about it for a moment. She wasn’t wrong. “I guess…”

“And you’re afraid the people in your life will abandon you if you disappoint them? If you don’t make them happy?”

A tear dripped from Alex’s eye. It was all true, she just hadn’t really stopped to think about it. She nodded.

“Well, I have news for you. You are not responsible for other people’s happiness. You never have been. And the people in your life, your friends, your girlfriend, they know that. If they care for you as much as you say, then there’s nothing to worry about.”

Alex couldn’t find words. All she could do was look Dr. Lynn right in the eye. Something about her just made Alex want to believe her. “But how do I stop feeling like this?” she asked.

“It won’t happen overnight. It could take a long time, but I can teach you how to recognize when you’re blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault. I can teach you techniques to deal with those feelings. If you’re willing to try, then so am I.”

“ _Please_ ,” Alex said, practically begging.

“Alright. Let’s get started.”

* * *

Naomi sat at her desk, pouring over the holographically projected screen of her Pokedex, which currently displayed the textbook for her psychology class. She had already read the particular section several times, but she wanted to make sure she absorbed all the information for her exam the following day. It was nearing finals week again and she was really feeling the stress now, moreso even than her first semester. With two exams, a report, and a project hanging over her head, Naomi felt like she had no time to do anything else. Now working on her third coffee of the day, she had been trying to cram for the psych exam for the past several hours.

As she stared at the screen, Naomi suddenly felt something tickling the side of her face. Annoyed, she looked up to see a long purple tail swishing around. Her Liepard was pestering her again. The large feline Pokemon was standing next to her chair, looking up at his trainer with a mischievous look in his eye.

“Get outta here, Neko,” Naomi grumbled, nudging her Pokemon with her foot. “I’m trying to study.”

The Liepard poked her with his tail again.

“Don’t make me put you back in your ball,” she threatened.

Neko darted away at those words.

“That’s what I thought.” Naomi returned her attention to her Dex. “Now, where was I?”

Resuming her reading undistracted, Naomi began to lose track of time. She was so focused that she didn’t register the sound of apartment door open in the next room or Alex calling her name. She almost jumped when her girlfriend suddenly hugged her from behind.

“Whatcha doin’?” Alex asked softly in her ear.

“I’m trying to study,” Naomi answered, pushing Alex away. “Please leave me alone so I can concentrate.”

“Oh,” came Alex’s response. It was clear she sounded hurt. “Sorry…”

Naomi immediately realized her mistake. She quickly stood up and turned to face her girlfriend. “No, _I’m_ sorry. I didn’t mean to be so cold… I’m just really stressing out right now.”

“Did I do something wrong?” Alex asked. “I forgot something important again, didn’t I?”

Naomi smiled. “Alex, you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Blaming yourself. I promise, you’re fine. I’ve just got all these finals coming up and… it’s just stressful, y’know?”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Naomi took a step toward Alex and pressed up against her. “Just keep being my amazing, sweet, sexy girlfriend. I’ll need a break soon, so how about you go order us a pizza while I finish up, and then we can snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie?”

“That sounds great. I’ll get right on that.”

Naomi’s smile grew as she watched Alex scamper off. She was amazed how far her girlfriend had come the past few months. Between the weekly therapy sessions and the meds that Dr. Lynn had put her on, Alex was noticeably happier. Of course, she still had a long way to go. Naomi, for her part, tried her best to help where she could. Alex would tell her about what she and Dr. Lynn discussed during their sessions and had asked her to help her identify when she was having irrational negative thoughts so that she could apply the techniques she had been learning in order to retrain herself into healthier ways of thinking.

There were still plenty of moments when Naomi would have to point out when Alex was stressing herself out over things that weren’t her fault, such as this very evening, but they were slowly becoming less frequent. Naomi tried to be as positive as possible around her girlfriend, not wanting to cause her any unnecessary stress, and she was glad that when she did slip up, she was able to show Alex that it wasn’t her fault. It would be a while yet before Alex fully healed, but her progress warmed Naomi’s heart. She was happy to help Alex find the happiness she deserved.

Naomi closed down the holographic display on her Dex, having finished the chapter she was reading, and leaned back in her chair. It was definitely time for a break. Just in time, too.

“Pizza’s here!” Alex called from the other room.

Naomi stood up and walked out to join her girlfriend on the couch. A delicious pizza and a night of cuddling was just what both of them needed to unwind.

* * *

The mid-afternoon sun shone down on Alex as she stepped out onto the walkway. She took in a breath of fresh air as she basked in the warm rays hitting her skin. The girl smiled as she began making her way down the block, toward home. She felt so alive.

Her session with Dr. Lynn had been a short one today. Alex was finding that they had less to talk about with each session. Today, the two had agreed that they didn’t need to meet as frequently anymore. According to the doctor, Alex was well on her way toward healing and a check-in only every couple of months would suffice.

Alex knew she was right; she could feel it. She no longer felt sad all the time, she no longer felt the crippling guilt that kept her from enjoying life. That was not to say that there weren’t still days when she felt down, but the techniques she had learned from Dr. Lynn helped her manage those feelings.

 _Why do I feel sad?_ she would ask herself. The question was part of her mental checklist. _Is someone unhappy? Is it because of something I did?_ The third question was the most important. That was when she had to check that she wasn’t blaming herself for something she didn’t do, that she wasn’t feeling responsible for the happiness of others. From there, she would ask herself what she could do to help whoever was feeling unhappy, and if she couldn’t, she would accept that it was out of her control instead of feeling responsible. Of course, there were also days where she did feel sad even when there weren’t any apparent problems that she was irrationally blaming herself for, and on those days, Alex was glad that Naomi was there to comfort her.

Upon reaching her apartment building, Alex paused a moment to catch her breath and enjoy a few more minutes of sun. She could have taken a skybus and significantly cut down on the time it took to get home, but Dr. Lynn’s office was close enough to walk to. It was still quite a hike, but lately Alex had been enjoying the time outside, getting some exercise, and just experiencing life.

Alex hummed a happy tune to herself as she rode the elevator up, then made her way back to the apartment. She was looking forward to spending the rest of the day with Naomi, who was still on break for a few weeks before her second year of school began.

“I’m home!” Alex announced as she stepped through the door.

Her girlfriend was soon there to greet her with a kiss. “Hey, babe,” she said. “How was therapy today?”

“Alright. Dr. Lynn says that I can start seeing her less now. Only every couple months, or if there’s an emergency.”

“That’s a good sign. So everything’s going well, I take it?”

“Mhm. She said there’s not really much else to teach me and the meds seem to be working, so it’d just be a waste of time and money to keep meeting weekly.”

Naomi pulled Alex into a hug. “That’s great, babe! Oh, and speaking of your meds, I stopped by the pharmacy and picked up your refill for you.”

“Aw, thanks.”

“Anything for you, babe. Now, whaddya say we go out and have some fun? Maybe go see a movie? I hear _Durant-Man_ is really good.”

“I’d love to!”

“Alright, let me just grab my bag and we can get out of here.”

A few minutes later, the two were back outside, on the way to the theater. Alex felt giddy inside. Life was good, and she had Naomi there to enjoy it with. She smiled, knowing that they would face whatever the universe threw their way together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this was a long one to write, but it’s very personal for me and was totally worth it. I started work on this last month on a muse that came to my brain, and decided to run with it because I needed to refresh myself from the other Spacemon pieces I was working on at the time as progress had stalled out on them The reason this piece is so personal to me, though, is that I myself started going to therapy for my own psychological problems, so it’s like Alex and I are going through therapy together. While Alex and I don’t share the same issues, it helped me to be able to deconstruct someone else’s thought patterns applying concepts I’d been discussing with my own therapist so that I could feel more comfortable doing the same thing for my own. Writing this became its own therapeutic experience.
> 
> So, the main focus of this piece is Alex finally facing her demons, which was one of the plots that was never fully resolved in the main series. Sure, her character arc more or less wrapped up, but there were still some loose ends to deal with. One doesn’t come back from such a tragic experience so easily. Alex was left broken by her father’s death, but this piece shows her finally putting herself back together.
> 
> With this piece, I had a lot of fun alternating between Alex and Naomi as the perspective character with every scene. It was interesting to show Alex going through all of this, but also showing how the person closest to her dealt with it.
> 
> All in all, I am very happy with how this turned out. Special thanks to Morgan's player for providing feedback on this piece while I was writing it!


	2. Family Ties

“And that should do it.”

Naomi leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh of relief. After weeks of hard work and research, she had finally finished her latest piece for her blog. Shortly after beginning her journalism studies, Naomi had started blogging as a means of sharpening her writing chops. Now that her first year of school was done and she had a few months off before her next semester began, she had so much more time to write, and write she did. Naomi enjoyed writing about a great many things, from day to day life to major socio-economic issues and everything in between. It seemed others liked reading her work too; she was proud to say that she had generated a pretty decent following since she had started her blog.

Even though she enjoyed writing, it could sometimes be exhausting, especially when it came to the longer, more in-depth pieces, such as the one she had just finished. This one was a look into the issues the Federation faced now that they had brokered a peace with the Mewtwos and had had some time to rebuild. It had been over a year since that final battle and the Federation was still clawing its way back from chaos that the Mewtwos had unleashed. The Galaxy would never be the same again, and now faced countless new issues as well as many that had yet to be solved. A simple blog post wasn’t going to solve them though, even one as well thought out and researched as Naomi’s had been, but she had strong opinions and wanted to share them with anyone who would listen.

As she looked over her work again, which was now live on the Spacenet for anyone to see, Naomi already felt her mind racing with new ideas and angles to explore the complex issues of the Galaxy from, but she pushed them aside for now. “Slow down, Naomi,” she told herself. “Take some time for yourself.” With that, she stood up and walked away from her desk.

Naomi couldn’t help but laugh to herself as she made her way to the kitchen to fix herself a snack. Here she was trying to solve all the Galaxy’s problems when she had issues in her own life to sort out. Even Alex was doing better than her in that regard. Naomi was so proud of her girlfriend for all the progress she had made in dealing with her mental health struggles. Alex was a fighter alright, and Naomi was inspired every day by her strength.

Thinking of how the Galaxy was rebuilding itself, of how Alex was rebuilding herself, Naomi realized she should be doing the same. She had lost her whole planet, but she had been so focused on helping Alex, on helping save the Galaxy, that she hadn’t been able to properly grieve. Sure, Naomi had more bad memories than good ones when it came to her life on Harmonia, but so many people she knew were gone now and she was one of the lucky few who had survived. Now she was so far from home, living with the one person in the whole Galaxy she could consider family.

“Family,” Naomi muttered to herself as she gazed at the window at the Avalon skylane traffic. She had almost forgotten what family was like, living alone with her father for so many years. She was only now remembering what it was like now that she was living together with Alex, the love of her life, but she still felt a longing. She was happier than she had been in years, but something was missing, a feeling she hadn’t felt since she was a little girl. Even though she was almost a fleeting memory, Naomi still missed her mother greatly. She hadn’t seen her since her parents went through that awful divorce years ago. She didn’t know what happened to her. She wondered if her mother even knew she was alive. The possibility of her thinking she had died on Harmonia was heartbreaking.

 _I wish I could see you again, Mom_ , Naomi thought as she settled down on the couch with her food.  _Wherever you are ..._

* * *

Naomi sat on the couch, deep in thought. The TV was on in the background, but she wasn’t paying attention to it in the slightest. Her mind was moving at a million miles an hour, sifting through all the thoughts and feelings that had flooded it. The more Naomi thought about it, the more she knew what she needed to do. She knew if she didn’t try to find her mother again she would never be able to live with herself, but she didn’t even know where to begin.

Suddenly, Naomi was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Alex walking in the door. “I’m home!” she heard her girlfriend call out.

“Over here, babe,” Naomi said, looking over to see Alex grabbing some water out of the fridge. She had been out exercising with her Pokemon for the past few hours, so she definitely needed the refreshment.

Alex then walked over and wrapped her arms around Naomi from behind. “Hey you,” she said before giving her girlfriend a kiss.

“Hey,” Naomi said, placing a hand on her girlfriend’s tattooed arm. She held on until Alex pulled away in order to plop herself down on the couch next to her. “How’d it go?” Naomi asked, leaning her head on Alex’s shoulder.

“Fine,” Alex answered. “It’s hot out there today, though. I’m all sweaty, if you couldn’t tell. What about you though? Did you get your post finished?”

“Mhm,” Naomi replied. “I posted it a couple hours ago.”

“That’s awesome!” Alex said cheerfully. “I can’t wait to read it later.”

“Yup. I’m sure you’ll like it,” Naomi said unenthusiastically.

“Gee, don’t sound so excited,” Alex said dryly. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m real psyched that I got it done, I’ve … just got a lot on my mind.”

“What’s up?” Alex asked, a hint of concern in her voice. “Anything I can help with?”

“I’ve just been thinking a lot about my mom lately,” Naomi told her girlfriend. “I wish I could get in contact with her somehow, but it’s been such a long time I don’t know where to start looking.”

Alex grabbed Naomi’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Well, I’ll do everything I can to help you find her.”

That brought a smile to Naomi’s face. “I know you will,” she said. “That’s why you’re the best.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Alex said, smiling back at her girlfriend. “I know you’d do the same for me. C’mon, let’s get started.”

“Too bad I don’t know where to start.”

“Do you think your dad might know where she is?” Alex asked.

Naomi frowned. “I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s certainly petty enough to keep tabs on an ex like that. The problem is that I don’t know where he is. I know he went back to ASI, but as far as I can tell, no one’s seen him since the company went under.”

Alex squeezed Naomi’s hand tighter. “Well, wherever he is, we’ll find him and we’ll make him tell us everything he knows. I promise you that we’ll find your mom.”

Seeing the determination in her girlfriend’s eyes, Naomi couldn’t help but believe her. “Thank you, Alex.”

* * *

“This is getting us nowhere.”

Naomi tossed her Pokedex aside in frustration. After days of making calls, sending emails, and chasing down leads, she and Alex still had nothing to show for. She had reached out to her father’s old business associates and Alex had spoken with her contacts in the Federation government, and the story was always the same. Nobody knew what happened to Jonathan Pierce after his company collapsed. It was as if he had simply disappeared.

“We can’t give up now,” Alex said, placing a comforting hand on Naomi’s arm. “There’s gotta be something else we haven’t tried yet.”

“Nobody’s heard from him for nearly a year,” Naomi grumbled. “He could be dead for all we know.”

“But that’s just it. We  _don’t_ know. That means we still have to try.”

“My point still stands. This isn’t getting us anywhere.”

Alex looked Naomi in the eye and bit her lower lip. It was the face she made when she was deep in thought. “Maybe you’re right,” she said after a few moments. “Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way. We need to start from the beginning.”

Naomi tilted her head to the side and gave Alex a quizzical look. “What do you mean by that?” she asked.

“We need to start from the last time you saw him and work our way from there,” Alex explained. “Maybe we missed something.”

“The last time I saw him? It was back on the  _Helix_ and he left with—”

“With the Red Suns,” Alex finished for her. “We don’t really know what happened after that, do we? Maybe the Red Suns can fill in the details and give us a clue as to where he might be.”

“Alex, you’re a freaking genius,” Naomi said, giving her girlfriend a big hug. “What would I do without you?”

Alex blushed at the compliment. “It’s nothing really,” she said. “We should give the Red Suns a call, though. I’m sure they’d be happy to help too.”

A big smile appeared on Naomi’s face. “Me too.”

* * *

After a much needed break, Naomi and Alex sat down together to contact the Red Suns. Naomi set her Pokedex on the table and set it to project out its holoscreen so both of them could easily see it. A few moments after the call was sent out, the face of Rena Bordeaux appeared on the screen.

“‘Ello?” the two girls were greeted by the smooth voice of the Red Suns’ Parisian leader.

“Hi Rena!” Alex said cheerfully.

“Oh, ‘ello Alex,” Rena replied. “‘Ello Naomi. ‘Ow nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you too,” Naomi said. “How’s little Eveline doing?” she then asked, referring to Rena’s daughter, who had been fathered by the Red Suns’ late leader, Arlon Jett. By Naomi’s count, she should have been almost a year old now.

“Oh, she is as much a ‘andful as always,” Rena said, chuckling a bit.

Naomi laughed too. “I can imagine,” she said. “Tell her we say hello.”

“I’ll be sure to do zat,” Rena said. “Now, what can I do for you ladies?”

“Well, we were hoping you could help us with something,” Alex said.

“It’s about my dad,” Naomi elaborated. “We’ve been trying to locate him, but it seems like no one has seen him since ASI went under.”

“Oh, I see,” Rena said. “I’m not sure how much ‘elp I can be. We ‘aven’t ‘ad any dealings with ‘im since we took ‘im off the  _‘elix_  for you.”

“At this point, we’re looking for anything,” Naomi said. “Whatever you can tell us would be greatly appreciated.”

“Of course. Of course. Let me see ‘ere. We didn’t ‘ang onto ‘im long, if I recall. ‘E wanted to get back to ‘is business as soon as possible, but we couldn’t spare ze time. Arlon may ‘ave, uh, ‘offloaded’ ‘im onto ‘ondo to take back to civilization.”

“I see,” Naomi said. She wasn’t sure of what to make of this news. She knew the smuggler known as Aarn Hondo had helped the  _Helix_ crew on their mission, but she also knew he was a bit of a scumbag.

“So Hondo might be able to tell us more, then?” Alex asked.

“I am not sure,” Rena replied.

“Well, it can’t hurt to try, right?” Alex said, glancing over at Naomi.

“Yeah,” Naomi agreed. “Do you know where we can find Hondo?” she then asked Rena.

“As far as I know, ‘e is still operating out of zat scrapyard of ‘is on Erebus, but ‘is operation ‘as expanded quite a bit. I ‘ave his contact information ‘ere. I can send it along for you.”

“That would be great, thanks,” Naomi said.

“You are quite welcome,” Rena said, flashing a smile. “I am sorry I couldn’t be of more ‘elp zan zat.”

“No, it’s fine,” Naomi said. “You’ve been super helpful.”

“Alright zen,” Rena said. “Good luck in your search and don’t be afraid to reach out if either of you need anything.”

“Thanks Rena,” Alex said. “We’ll be sure to do that. Have a nice day.”

“Au revoir,” Rena said, giving the girls a little wave before hanging up.

* * *

Shortly after their conversation with Rena, Naomi and Alex called up Hondo. It took a while for the call to go through, but eventually the Outer Rim smuggler appeared. “Hello,” he said. “Aarn Hondo here. Who am I speaking to?”

“Hondo?” Alex replied. “It’s Alex Hawthorne. Y’know, from the  _Helix_?”

“Ah, yes, yes,” Hondo replied, a look of recognition appearing on his face. “I remember now. What can Hondo do for you?”

“Well, I need some help finding someone,” Alex told the smuggler.

“And you think I might know where this someone is?” Hondo asked.

“I would hope so,” Alex said. She then motioned in Naomi’s direction. “This is my girlfriend, Naomi,” she explained. “We’re trying to find her father.”

“I know many people’s fathers,” Hondo said. “I am afraid you need to be more specific about who this man is.”

“His name is Jonathan Pierce,” Naomi said. “I believe you transported him for the Red Suns?”

“Ah, yes. I see,” Hondo said. “That I did.” The smuggler paused for a moment, as if he was choosing his next words carefully. “But, uh … I haven’t seen him since then. I simply took him where he wanted to go and … that was that.” Hondo laughed nervously and looked at the two girls expectantly.

Something about the smuggler’s behavior didn’t sit right with Naomi. It felt like there was more that Hondo wasn’t telling them. Her investigative instincts told her to dig deeper, so that’s what she did.

“Are you sure about that, Mr. Hondo?” Naomi asked.

“Of course I’m sure,” Hondo said, letting out another laugh. “Why wouldn’t I be sure?”

Naomi frowned. “You’re not very convincing, you know that? If there’s something you’re not telling me, I’m going to find out.”

Hondo laughed again. Naomi could tell the smuggler knew he had been caught in a lie. “Well …” He trailed off, clearly trying to think of a way to Buizel his way out of the situation. “I  _may_ have  _convinced_ him to make a small, shall we say  _donation_ to my, uh ...  _business ventures_ ,” he said, a smile creeping onto his face.

“You did  _what?_ ” Naomi asked, feeling a sudden rush of anger.

“You see, he was quite eager to get back to civilization,” Hondo said, attempting to explain himself. “I simply told him that a monetary contribution would expedite his return.”

“ _Right_ ,” Naomi said dryly. “When he left the  _Helix_ , he didn’t seem to be in a rational state of mind. Clearly you took advantage of him.”

“If that’s what you want to call it. I call it  _opportunity_.”

“Call it whatever you want,” Naomi said, crossing her arms. “It doesn’t make it any less immoral.”

At that, Hando let out a loud, jovial laugh. “Clearly you haven’t spent much time in the Outer Rim. Out here we have to do whatever it takes to survive. If that means coaxing some extra credits out of a delusional businessman, so be it. If you can convince him that funding your entire operation is in his best interest, why waste the opportunity?”

“ _What?_ ” If this conversation had been in person, Naomi wasn’t sure she would be able to resist slapping the smuggler across the face. She never liked her father, but this had just gone to far.

“Oops, did I say that out loud?” Hondo said with a chuckle.

“How much of his money did you steal?” Naomi asked sternly.  _I’ve had enough of this bullshit_ , she thought.

“Oh, I didn’t steal any of it,” Hondo said. “I like to think of it more as a business arrangement.”

“I don’t care about what you think of it as,” Naomi said angrily. “That money wasn’t yours to take. Yes, my father acquired a lot of his wealth through dubious means, but it shouldn’t be used to fund some … some  _pirate_.”

“ _Smuggler_ ,” Hondo corrected her.

“Shut up, Hondo,” Alex butted in. “If you know where Naomi’s father is, you’d better tell us or we’ll get the Red Suns to come kick your ass! Their contract with the Federation will let them arrest you if they want to.”

“My friends, my friends, there is no need for such hostility,” Hondo said. The smuggler let out another nervous laugh as he spoke. “You do raise a fair point, however. I believe we can handle this just between us; no need to get the Red Suns involved.”

“Then start talking,” Naomi said.

“Your father did seem a bit unhinged when I first met him,” Hondo said. “But he’s still quite rational, if a bit …  _crazy_  … not to mention paranoid.” Hondo paused again, considering his words carefully. “I simply offered what he wanted. A way home, protection, a new investment opportunity.” He smiled again and his expectant expression returned.

“Are you saying my father became an Outer Rim crime lord?” Naomi asked skeptically. She was having a hard time believing the words coming out of the slimey smuggler’s mouth.

“Well, not exactly, but … yes, I suppose that’s one way to look at it. I can arrange a meeting if you’d like.”

“Yes. I would very much like that,” Naomi said. “And this better not be another trick.”

“No, no, my dear,” Hondo said. “I assure you this is all true. I swear on my honor as a smuggler.”

“Psh. What honor?” Alex grumbled.

Hondo simply shrugged. “Fair point.” He then moved to reach for a console off screen. “Meet me at these coordinates in … shall we say a week?”

“Alright, you’ve got yourself a deal, Mr. Hondo.”

* * *

Hondo was waiting as Naomi and Alex disembarked from the ship they had taken to the station near the Sector 25 capital system where the smuggler had told them to meet them. “Welcome, my friends, welcome,” he greeted the two girls.

“What are we doing out here, Hondo?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, this place makes me uncomfortable,” Naomi said, eyeing the armed guards flanking the docking tube and the bulkhead at the end of the corridor. She didn’t like the look of them at all. “What’s with all the security?”

Hondo continued to smile as he motioned for the girls to follow him. “Remember when I said your father is paranoid?” he asked as he began walking toward the bulkhead.

Naomi frowned and followed the smuggler with Alex just behind her. “Yes, I remember, but I didn’t think you meant he surrounded himself with a bunch of armed guards on a space station in the middle of nowhere.”

“Ha ha, yes,” Hondo laughed. “It is a bit much, I’ll admit, but at least be glad he’s alive. I never knew my father, you know.”

“Oh, boo hoo,” Naomi retorted. She wasn’t in the mood to hear Hondo’s stories. “Don’t try to make me feel sorry for you … or for him. The only reason we’re even here is because he might know where my mom is.”

“Do I sense some bad blood?” Hondo asked as he led Naomi and Alex through the bulkhead and down another corridor. “Are you maybe not as fond of him as he is of you?”

“What are you talking about?” Naomi asked as they rounded a corner.

“Well, your father is a bit, uh, shall we say …  _unstable_ ,” Hondo said.

“No thanks to you, I bet,” Alex said, giving the smuggler a wary glare.

“Hmm, perhaps,” Hondo said, stopping in front of a door flanked by two more armed guards. “Perhaps.” He paused for moment before continuing. “I’ll be honest with you,” the smuggler said, turning to face Naomi.

 _Gee, that’s a first_ , Naomi thought, but she held her tongue. She was interested in what Hondo had to say to her.

“I didn’t actually think you existed before you called me,” Hondo continued. “I thought you were just a figment of his imagination. Someone he talked to who wasn’t actually there.”

“Wait …” Naomi’s voice trailed off as she recalled how her father had departed the  _Helix_. When he left, he thought she had actually followed him.  _Could it be?_  “Has my father thought I’ve been with him the entire time?”

Hondo let out that nervous laugh Naomi was all too used to by now. “It would seem so, yes,” he said.

“And you saw fit to keep him here even though he clearly needs psychological help,” Naomi said, folding her arms. “I wouldn’t expect anything less of you.”

“He’s here in his office,” Hondo said, ignoring the comment. The smuggler turned his head toward the door they were standing in front of. “Go on in. I warned my men that you were coming, so they’ll be able to help you if he goes crazy or something like that.” He hit the button on the console and the door slid open.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Naomi said. She took a step into the room with Alex just behind her.

The room was a large office not unlike the one Naomi’s father had at ASI headquarters back on Harmonia before the planet was destroyed. One wall was lines with shelves housing various personal belongings and the one opposite had a small table lined with liquor bottles up against it and had several holoframes mounted on it. The wall opposite the door was lined with three large holoscreens where one would normally expect to find windows; each was displaying a view of space. A desk was positioned in front of the screens and behind it sat Jonathan Pierce, looking over a datapad. He looked much like Naomi remembered, although there was a little more gray in his hair.

As she entered the room, Naomi’s father looked up at her. “Ah, Naomi,” he said, setting down the datapad. “Just the person I wanted to see.” He spoke as if it hadn’t been well over a year since they had last seen each other.

Unsure how to proceed, Naomi glanced over at Alex, who simply shrugged back at her. “Uh, hi Dad,” she said, turning back to face her father. “Um … how are you?” She asked the question tentatively, not sure what to make of the situation.

“Good, good,” he replied. “I was just looking over the latest draft of our economic development plan for Erebus. Come, take a look and let me know what you think.” He waved his daughter over and she approached the desk.

Accepting the datapad her father handed her, Naomi looked over the document it displayed.  _Let’s see what you’re up to, Dad_ , she thought. Scrolling through, it looked to Naomi like whatever operation her father and Hondo had set up was somehow involved with development of planets in Sector 25 for the Geneva Confederacy. The particular document she was looking at concerned Erebus, one of the relatively more developed planets in the sector and the planet Rena had said Hondo was operating on. Aside from the fact that it was coming from a dubious organization run by her father and a smuggler, Naomi had to admit it looked like a pretty solid plan.  _How interesting_.

“It looks good,” Naomi said, handing the datapad back to her father.

“That’s my girl,” he replied, sounding proud. “I knew you’d approve.”

“ _Right_ ,” Naomi said, rolling her eyes. She got the feeling that the version of her that her dad had been hallucinating all this time was an agreeable ‘daddy’s girl.’ As uncomfortable with that idea as she was, Naomi thought it best to play along. She wasn’t sure how he would react if confronted with reality. “Everything seems to be going pretty well,” she said. “I don’t see any reason to question your judgement.” Naomi cringed inside as she spoke, but she knew it was better than the alternative.

“I’m glad you agree,” her father said. “I’m glad you understand the importance of what we’re doing here.”

“Yup,” Naomi replied, nodding her head. “Very important.”

“I’m so proud that we’re able to work together like this,” Naomi’s father continued. “I’m happy that you’ve been able to come around to my way of thinking. It’s a pity it took the destruction of our world for us to be able to see eye to eye.”

 _Is he being serious right now?_  Naomi asked herself. She couldn’t believe how detached from reality her father seemed to have become.

“Soon we will begin to reclaim what we have lost,” Jonathan Pierce continued. He stood up and placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “The Genevans have lost their worlds too, and their need for new worlds is what will allow us to grow our fortune once more.”

And there was the man Naomi knew all too well. Even though her father seemed to have lost his sanity, his greedy, manipulative nature was as sharp as ever. Naomi couldn’t help but shrink away from her father’s touch. “You know what, I can’t do this,” she said. She knew it might be risky to drop the ruse, but she couldn’t make herself continue this way.

“Naomi?” Jonathan Pierce asked, giving his daughter a look of confusion.

“How could you possibly think I’d ever be okay with any of this?” Naomi asked.

The confused expression on Naomi’s father’s suddenly turned quite stern. It was a look she had seen many times growing up. “What are you talking about?”

“We haven’t seen each other in over a year,” Naomi said. “But you didn’t even notice, did you? You still only care about your dynasty and invented what, some perfect version of me? You couldn’t even take the time to appreciate me for who I actually am?”

“What has gotten into you, young lady?” Naomi’s father asked.

Naomi took a step back as her father approached her. “What’s gotten into you?” she asked. “You’ve locked yourself in an office on a station in middle of nowhere and surrounded yourself with mercenaries. You need help.”

The look on Jonathan Pierce’s face suddenly became one of pure anger. Before Naomi could react, her father closed the gap between them and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?!” he shouted, shaking her violently

“Let go of me, you psycho!” Naomi screamed, doing her best to break free from her father’s grip.

Alex quickly rushed across the room to Naomi’s aide. “Get off of her!” she shouted, pushing the crazed man back and allowing Naomi to free herself. Naomi immediately retreated further back, seeking safety behind her girlfriend.

Jonathan Pierce stumbled backwards as Alex pushed him again, and he fell back into his chair. He looked at Alex with that fierce, angry expression, but the rage slowly faded away as recognition appeared on his face. “ _You_ ,” he said to the Sinai girl. “I remember you.” In that moment, he looked almost completely sane. “You were on that ship we escaped Harmonia on.”

Something told Naomi that her father was no longer a danger to her, so she stepped forward again. “This is my girlfriend, Alex,” she said, grabbing hold of Alex’s hand. “I stayed behind to be with her and you just left without even checking if I was actually with you.”

Naomi watched as he father shook his head in confusion. “But I remember you being with me the whole time. It was you who convinced me to accept Hondo’s offer.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Naomi told her father. “You were hallucinating or something. All I know is that you need to get yourself some help.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” he replied. He looked down at the floor and for a moment and Naomi thought she detected a hint of paranoia in his demeanor. “But if we have truly been seperated all this time, why are you here now?” he asked, looking back up at his daughter.

“I’m trying to find Mom,” Naomi explained. “But since you made it impossible for me to ever communicate with her I have no idea where she is. I figured you were spiteful enough to keep tabs on her.”

“And suppose that I do know where she is,” Jonathan Pierce continued. “What happens if I tell you?”

“Then I leave and never have to see you again,” Naomi said bluntly.

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I tell the Federation all about the shady operation you’ve got here. If you just tell me what I want to know, I’ll leave and forget everything I’ve seen here. I really don’t care what illegal crap you’re up, I just want you out of my life.”

Jonathan Pierce let out a long, drawn out sigh, but it turned into what Naomi thought almost sounded like a defeated laugh. “You drive a hard bargain,” he said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less of my daughter. Your mother was living on Cacia the last I checked. She started her own firm, if I recall.”

“You don’t happen to know the name of it, do you?” Naomi asked.

“I’m afraid not,” her father replied. “Most of my files were destroyed with Harmonia.”

“I see,” Naomi replied. “Thank you,” she added before turning to leave. Alex followed close behind as she walked across the room. Naomi paused in the doorway and looked back at her father. “Goodbye, Dad. Please … get yourself some help.” And with that, she walked out the door.

* * *

“This is the place,” Naomi said as she and Alex approached a beautiful blue house in a nice suburban neighborhood just outside Cacia’s capital city. The bright afternoon sunlight shone down upon the girls as they came to a stop just outside the front door.

“Are you sure?” Alex asked, peeking in through the window.

“Positive,” Naomi said. “I’m just … nervous.”

Following the information provided by her father, Naomi’s search for her mother had led her here. Shortly after arriving on the planet, she had located her mother’s law firm, but she learned that she was out on maternity leave. Fortunately, one of the women who worked there had been kind enough to provide Naomi with her mother’s contact information. Naomi had tried calling her, but had received no answer. And so she was left with no choice but to show up at her house.

“You can do this,” Alex said, putting a comforting hand on her girlfriend’s arm.

“I just don’t know what to expect. I haven’t seen her in over ten years, and she has a new family now, and I don’t wanna just—”

“You got this,” Alex interrupted her. “And I’ll be right here with you.”

“No, you’re right,” Naomi said. She flashed her girlfriend a smile. “I’m overreacting.” Naomi took in a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.” She took a step forward and rang the bell.

A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a tall, blonde-haired man. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“Uh, hi,” Naomi said. “I’m looking for Karen Marshall.”

“And who, exactly, are you?”

“My name is Naomi and—”

“Oh, I see,” the man interrupted. Naomi thought she detected recognition of her name in his facial expression. “One moment.”

The man closed the door and Naomi stood there waiting anxiously. A few moments later, the door opened again and, for the first time in over a decade, Naomi saw her mother. She looked exactly how she remembered her. She could feel her eyes starting to water, but she held back the tears.

“Mom?” Naomi said. She looked expectantly into her mother’s green eyes. Naomi’s mother looked back at her in stunned silence. “It’s me—”

“Naomi? Is it really you?”

Naomi saw tears starting to form under her mother’s eyes and she couldn’t help but cry herself. “Yeah, Mom, it’s me.”

The realization fully setting in, Naomi’s mother threw her arms around her daughter. “Oh my goodness,” she cried. “I never thought I’d see you again. When they said Harmonia was destroyed, I feared the worst.”

“I missed you so much,” Naomi managed to say through the tears. “I’ve waited so long for this moment.”

“I missed you too, sweetheart.”

The reunited mother and daughter stood there for several moments, locked in a tight embrace. Eventually, Naomi’s mother pulled back and looked her over. “Let me get a look at you. I can’t believe my baby girl is all grown up. You look so beautiful. Why don’t you come inside.” She took a step back and beckoned her daughter inside.

Naomi looked over at Alex, who was standing a ways back with a beaming smile on her face, and waved her over. “Mom, there’s someone I want you to meet,” she said. “Mom, this is Alex.”

“It’s so nice to meet you, Ms. Marshall,” Alex said.

“Please, call me Karen,” Naomi’s mom said, smiling at the Sinai girl. “What a lovely friend you have here.”

“Mom, Alex is my girlfriend,” Naomi said, putting her arm around Alex.

“Oh,” Naomi’s mother said. “Oh,” she then repeated, realizing what her daughter meant. “I guess we have a lot to catch up on,” she said after a few moments, a broad smile on her face. “Please, come in.”

Naomi happily stepped across the threshold. She had longed for this moment for so long and it was finally here. More than anything, she was looking forward to welcoming her mother back into her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was a fun little piece to write. The idea actually came to me a long while back and I finally got around to writing it. For a long time I wondered what happened to Naomi’s mom, and got in my head this scene of them reuniting. I needed more than that to justify a full piece, so I added a bunch of ideas. It was a good excuse to explore what happened to Naomi’s father after Hondo took him off the Red Suns’ hands. The GM and I had previously joked about Hondo scamming him out of money and him going crazy, but I iterated on it and came up with what we have here. I’m very happy with how it all turned out. Timeline wise, this takes place not long after Road to Recovery, in which Alex deals with her mental health issues. I don’t have much else to say about the piece since I think it speaks for itself. Hope you enjoyed it.


	3. The Special Day

_Today is a special day._

Alex awoke in a happy mood, glad the day had finally come. For most people, it was just another Friday— which in and of itself was a bit special, being the last day before the weekend— but for Alex, it meant something more. She had been waiting for this day with anticipation for weeks and now it was finally here. As her eyes slowly fluttered open, Alex felt the warmth of Naomi’s body pressed against her back, her arms wrapped around her, her slow, steady breaths tickling the back of her neck, and a smile formed on her face. This was the way life was supposed to be. This was what she wanted to wake up to every morning.

Alex spent several moments watching the shadows of the passing skylane traffic slide along the wall, just enjoying the comfort of her girlfriend’s embrace, but eventually, she decided it was time to get up. There was a lot she needed to accomplish today, and she only had a very limited amount of time to get it all done as she had a very special plan for the evening. Naomi’s arm fell away onto the mattress as Alex sat up and slid herself to the edge of the bed. Alex dangled her legs over the side of the bed, then stretched out.

As she moved to stand up, Alex felt Naomi’s hand grab her by the wrist. She turned to see her girlfriend looking at her with an impish smile on her face. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Naomi asked playfully, tugging on Alex’s arm.

“I’ve got some things to take care of.”

“What could _possibly_ be more important than staying in bed with me until I need to get up for class?”

Alex couldn’t help but smile as she looked back at Naomi laying there, her brilliant green eyes peeking out between the loose strands of her dyed purple hair. “I’d love to, but I need to do some stuff for work. I’ve gotta do this conference call thingy with the Institute in an hour.”

Naomi sat up and pulled Alex into a hug from behind. “Awww. Are you sure you can’t stay just a _little_ bit longer?”

“I wish I could, but I’ve got a bunch of things to do.”

“Alright, fine, but tonight _you’re all mine_.” After a kiss on the cheek, Naomi released her grip, allowing Alex to stand.

Alex glanced back at her girlfriend, a grin on her face. “I look forward to it.”

And with that, Alex headed into the bathroom to start getting ready. Normally, Alex just hung around the house in something comfortable while she filed paperwork and reviewed the projects she was overseeing in her branch of the Institute or worked on her latest Pokeball designs, but on days where she needed to make conference calls with her colleagues, she actually needed to look presentable. After living on the streets for so long, she still wasn’t quite used to the notion, but over the past few years she had been adapting quite well thanks to Naomi and her far more superior fashion sense.

Once she was all ready, Alex was able to share a quick breakfast with Naomi before she needed to leave for the university. She was quite fond of these such moments, these small little bits of everyday life they shared together. It brought back memories of their time together on Vandia when she first fell in love with Naomi, and today, more so than most days, that period of her life was on her mind. Back then she had dreamed of the life they might have together, and now here they were, living it out just like she pictured. Today, Alex wanted to celebrate the years since then because she was ready for so many more.

“Alright, I’ve gotta run, babe,” Naomi said once they had finished. “I’ve only got the one class today, so I’ll be sure to be home early to cash in on those cuddles you owe me.”

“I can’t wait,” Alex said, beaming with excitement. Of course, she had much more than cuddling planned for the day, but that was going to be a surprise.

Naomi gave Alex a goodbye kiss before heading out the door. “I love you, babe. See you later.”

* * *

Tucked away in a beautiful green corner of Avalon’s capital city, the students of the University of Avalon enjoyed both the benefits of city life and the peace and tranquility of nature. Alex stood near the middle of the suspended garden platform connecting the university’s four towers, watching the the bustling masses of students traveling between classes and playing with Pokemon in the grassy circle in the center. Although she had visited Naomi here many times, it always filled the Sinai girl with wonder. Back on Vandia there was never any manmade structure quite like this. It still amazed her that this quad, which was home to several large trees, was held up between the towers so far above the planet’s surface. She loved visiting when she had the time, and today her visit was extra special.

After her conference call with her colleagues at the Institute— a call that had gone quite well despite her lack of understanding of a lot of the science, not that she particularly minded as she had a good eye for what sort of research was and was not ethical or worth looking into— Alex had somehow found the time to get through her entire to-do list in the few remaining hours she had before Naomi got out of class. She had groomed all her Pokemon and took them out for their daily dose of exercise, she had reviewed all the status updates from her department for the week, and she had even found the time to pick up her meds. On the way to the university, Alex made one last stop. She picked up a bouquet of beautiful roses at the florist to give to her lover. She knew Naomi would love them.

With only a few minutes left until her girlfriend got out of class, Alex made her way inside the north tower and rode the elevator up. She made it to the correct classroom just in time to see the students begin filing out. _I hope I didn’t miss her_ , Alex thought once the flow of people began to trail off. She was starting to feel a bit anxious that her plan had somehow gone wrong before she finally spotted Naomi’s impossible to miss bright purple hair. She was the last one out, emerging next to the professor, chatting away. _Just like her_. Alex quickly hid the flowers behind her back as she approached.

Naomi’s face lit up when she spotted her girlfriend. “Excuse me,” Alex heard her say. “See you next week, professor!”

And with that, she ran over to Alex. “What are you doing here, babe?” she asked before leaning in for a kiss.

“I, uh, well, I wanted to surprise you,” Alex told her. She pulled the bouquet out from behind her back and held them up. “These are for you.”

“Oh, Alex, they’re beautiful.” Naomi happily accepted the flowers, then planted another kiss on Alex’s lips. “What’s the occasion?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”

“Of course I haven’t,” Naomi said, giggling. “Don’t be silly. Today marks five years since the day we met. Since the day you saved my life. How could I ever forget that? Honestly, I’m the one who should be buying you flowers. You did save _me_ , after all.”

“Oh, it was nothing really.” Alex felt herself blushing.

“Aw, you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.” Naomi placed her arm around Alex and pulled her close. “Now whaddya say we get outta here? If I recall, you owe me some cuddles.”

* * *

“C’mon, tell meeeee.”

“Nope.”

By this point Alex was giggling almost uncontrollably. She had been teasing Naomi the whole way home about what she had planned for them this evening. Of course, she was planning on telling her eventually, but right now she was having too much fun.

“Pleeeeeease?” Naomi begged as they walked together down the hall to their apartment.

“Alright, alright,” Alex finally said, stopping just outside their door. She playfully pushed her girlfriend against the wall as she was reaching to open the door. “You and I are gonna go see that new _Galactic Vanguards_ movie and then I’m gonna take you on the best dinner date you’ve ever had.” She stood up on her toes and gave Naomi a big kiss.

“Aw, you’re so romantic.”

“It’s only because I love you so much,” Alex said as they entered the apartment.

“You’re the best, babe. Now, c’mon. We gotta get ready. Since you picked the movie, I get to pick what you wear tonight.” With that, Naomi dragged Alex into the bedroom.

The next hour was spent rummaging through the closet. Naomi had settled on her own outfit rather quickly, opting to wear her favorite black dress, but she was certainly taking her time with choosing Alex’s. Alex knew better than to say anything, and besides, she loved wearing nice things for Naomi.

Alex stood in the bathroom looking at herself in the mirror, wearing little more than a pair of slacks and her undergarments, her tattoos on full display. There was the Helix shell on the back of her right shoulder, the stitched-up heart just below her collarbone, and, of course, the full sleeve tribute to Leviathan on her left arm. Her other arm was home to two new additions. An image of Ebony under a full moon now adorned her upper arm. She got it the previous year to celebrate fifteen years of friendship with her very first Pokemon. Beneath that was her very first tattoo— her mantra for life— except now it was framed by a design of interlaced roses, wrapping around her entire forearm. Alex was proud of her collection.

“Hey, babe, can you zip me up?” Naomi asked as she walked into the room.

“Sure thing.” Alex turned from the mirror and grabbed the zipper on the back of her girlfriend’s dress. “You look so beautiful,” she said as she slid it up Naomi’s back.

“So will you when I’m done with you,” Naomi said, laughing. “I think you should wear that cute blue top I got you for your birthday.”

“I’ll wear whatever you want me to.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Naomi grabbed Alex by the hand and dragged her back into the bedroom. The two quickly finished getting ready, and then they were off. Alex was giddy with excitement, not just for the next installment in her favorite film series, but for the dinner, for the rest of her plan for this special day.

* * *

“That was so amazing!” Alex shouted as she and Naomi exited the theater into the late afternoon air. “It was just as great as the first, and Rocket is still the best! I just wanna hug him!”

“Man, you are such a dork,” Naomi laughed.

“ _Hey_.”

“But you’re _my_ dork, and I love you.” Naomi pulled Alex into a hug as they made their way down the walkway toward the skybus stop. “I’m so glad I got to see this with you, just like the last one.”

“Me too.”

One bus ride later, the pair found themselves down by the waterfront where all the nice restaraunts were. Neither would normally spend so much on any of the expensive places here, but tonight was a special exception. Alex lead Naomi to the place she had selected, and they were in turn led to their table.

“I can’t believe we’re actually eating here,” Naomi said as she looked over the menu. “I’ve wanted to try it since we moved here.”

“That’s why I picked it.”

Once they finally settled on what they were going to eat, the two lovebirds continued to discuss the movie, and when they had thoroughly analyzed it, they finally moved on. Alex was content to sit there and just listen to Naomi talk about school and the latest goings on at the university. She loved listening to her voice; it was so soothing. Even when the food came, Alex continued to listen, hanging onto her every word. She knew that this was what true love felt like. _I will spend the rest of my life with her_ , she thought. _Tonight everyone will know_.

Suddenly, Naomi reached across the table and gave Alex a light tap. “Hey, are you zoning out again?”

“Sorry, what?” Alex asked. She hadn’t realized that she had become so absorbed in thinking of what she was about to do.

“I said, ‘how’s everything at the Institute?’”

“Oh, yeah. It’s going good. H is still a pain in the butt, but we’re doing great things. I’m learning so much every day still. I still feel weird being in charge of so many people though.”

“Don’t,” Naomi said, placing her hand on Alex’s “You’re an amazing leader.”

“Thanks.”

“Know what else was amazing?” Naomi continued, pushing her plate away. “This dinner. Thanks for this, babe.”

Alex smiled as she looked across the table at her girlfriend. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, but whaddya say we get out of here? I’ve got something to show you.”

Once they paid for their meal, Alex and Naomi stepped outside into the light of the setting sun. Alex was giddy with anticipation once more as she led her girlfriend down to the waterfront. The low sun cast beautiful reflections across the shimmering water of Avalon’s ocean.

“Wow this is so beautiful,” Naomi said, leaning on the railing. “How have we not spent a sunset here together?”

“We have now.” Alex lovingly leaned her head on Naomi’s shoulder. “And it’s just as perfect as I imagined.”

“You know, this view reminds me of Vandia. I remember all the times we laid under the sunset together. It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since then. It feels like just yesterday that you saved my life.”

“You’re always reminding me of that,” Alex said. She stepped back from the railing and looked Naomi right in her beautiful green eyes. “But you also saved my life. You came into my life at a time when I was close to losing hope, and you returned to me just in time to save me from myself. You’ve been saving my life every single day since then. You gave me the strength to heal my broken soul. I love you so much and I can never repay you for everything you’ve done. All I know is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

With that, Alex grabbed a Pokeball from her bag. She hit the button, releasing a small black box into her hand. Then she dropped to one knee, revealing the diamond ring within. “Naomi, will you marry me?”

Naomi gasped in surprise and her jaw dropped. “Oh my God, yes!” she cried. “Of course!” She held out her hand, allowing Alex to slide the ring on. “It’s beautiful.”

Alex barely had time to stand before Naomi swept her off her feet. Alex wrapped her legs around Naomi as she lifted her onto the railing. As the sun sank below the horizon, the two girls were locked into a passionate embrace as the next chapter of their lives began.

_Today was a special day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me starting another Spacemon project! With a sequel campaign now underway, the fifty years after the original that precede it are ripe for storytelling. Tales & Transmissions will be a collection of short stories set in that time period that I will be releasing from time to time, starting with this Valentine’s Day special. I actually planned this piece last year but didn’t get around to posting for Valentine’s Day because I had literally just finished writing the last chapter of the original campaign. Alex and Naomi have certainly become one of my favorite couples in fiction, so I knew they were perfect for a Valentine’s Day special.
> 
> There’s not too much to say about this one since I think it speaks for itself. There’s a few subtle details and allusions to other bits and pieces of the post-campaign setting that have yet to be explored, but I won’t delve into those here. I did do a few callbacks to the third part of Alex’s origin story with them going to see the next Galactic Vanguards and then going to dinner. Obviously, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 isn’t out yet so I couldn’t really reference it, but it was still a fun little bit to explore. I’ll leave this short and sweet, so happy Valentine’s Day everyone and thanks for your continued support of Spacemon!


	4. The Big Day

“Just relax. Everything is going to be fine.”

“I can’t help it,” Alex said, turning to face Morgan. “I’m so nervous.”

“Don’t be,” Morgan replied. She placed a comforting hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Everyone knows how much you two love each other. There’s nothing to be worried about.”

A smile returned to Alex’s face. “I guess you’re right. I’m being silly, aren’t I?” She turned back to the mirror to look at her reflection again. Never in her life had she thought she looked as fancy as she did now, garbed in her elegant white gown. “I just can’t believe this day is finally here.”

“I can’t either, if I’m being honest,” Morgan said. “But here we are.”

The room fell silent as Alex continued to look herself over in the mirror. “Do I look okay?” she asked after several moments.

“Alex, you look fine,” Morgan said. “Everything is fine. This is your day, so just stop worrying and enjoy it, okay?”

“Right,” Alex said. She stepped away from the mirror and looked back at Morgan. “Sorry.”

Morgan let out a slight laugh and shook her head. “Just relax.”

Alex took in a deep breath and calmed her racing thoughts. Morgan was right. Today was one of the most important days of her life, but that didn’t mean she needed to fret over every minute detail. Today needed to be filled with joy, not worry.

“Are you good?” Morgan asked after several moments.

“Mhm,” Alex replied with a nod. She felt much calmer now.

“Hey, Morgan?” Alex said a few minutes later.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being here. It really means a lot to me.” Alex knew Morgan wasn’t particularly fond of formal events, especially ones that involved getting dressed up, but she was the closest thing she had to a sister; she couldn’t imagine anyone else being her maid of honor.

A rare smile appeared on Morgan’s face. “Sure,” she said. “I’m happy to be here for you.”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Morgan walked over to see who was there. She soon turned back to face Alex. “It’s time,” she said. “Are you ready?”

Alex took in another deep breath. Of course she was ready. She had been waiting for this for so long, and now the big day had finally arrived. Alex had never been more ready to marry the love of her life.

* * *

“Are you ready, child?”

Alex nodded as she looked up at Raj. “Mhm.” She could feel excitement welling up inside her as she prepared to be walked down the aisle by the monk — the man who had saved her life when she was on the brink of death as a child, the man who had nursed her back to health, the man who had saved her from herself, the man who was now to officiate her wedding. In many ways he was more of a father to her than her own had been.

“Then let us proceed,” Raj said, smiling as he hooked his arm around hers.

Alex was absolutely beaming as they walked down the aisle. She looked out at all the smiling faces of her friends and coworkers all gathered for her big day. It made her so happy to see them all here on Vandia, out on the beautiful Sunset Plains.

As they neared the end of the aisle, Alex could see the wedding party waiting. On the right stood Morgan, her maid of honor, along with two more of her closest friends and former  _Helix_  crewmates, Shane and Dmiri, both of whom looked dashing in their matching suits. Morgan herself was dressed in a beautiful purple dress that she pulled off quite well despite her usual distaste for dressing girly. On the right stood Naomi’s three best friends from the University, Katrina, Gabrielle, and Liam. The two girls wore bridesmaid dresses to match Morgan’s, while Liam wore a suit identical to those worn by Shane and Dmitri.

Upon joining the wedding party, Raj and Alex separated. Raj stepped to his position at the center from where he would give his sermon, and Alex took her place beside Morgan, Shane, and Dmitri to await her beautiful bride. Alex was absolutely giddy with anticipation for the arrival of her beloved.

When she finally saw Naomi, Alex felt her heart pounding in her chest. Accompanied by her mother, she walked down the aisle with such grace. She looked absolutely ravishing in her gorgeous strapless wedding gown. Alex could still hardly believe she was about to marry this beautiful girl.

As their hands joined together, Alex looked into Naomi’s stunning green eyes to see the same love she felt inside burning brightly. The girls were smiling as they stared lovingly into each other’s eyes. They had both been looking forward to this moment for a long time, and now they were about to make their bond eternal.

“Those of us gathered here today,” Raj said, projecting his voice. “Family, friends … We are here to witness the joining of two amazing young women in a union of everlasting love. The story of Alex and Naomi is one of friendship and self-discovery, of hopes and dreams. It is a story of loss and mistakes, but also second chances. Above all else, their story is about love. Their story is one of two souls destined to be together.”

Raj paused for a moment for a breath. It was a moment in which Alex and Naomi’s eyes remained locked. Alex could feel her heart fluttering with joy, and she was sure Naomi was experiencing the same thing.

“Alex and Naomi first met each other as young teenagers here on this very world,” Raj continued. “Like all young romances, theirs was messy and fraught with confused emotions and misunderstood signals. The mistakes they made as young girls ultimately tore them apart, and their paths diverged. But those mistakes also made them stronger. Ultimately, fate decided their paths were destined to cross once more. As the Universe around them was thrown into chaos, Alex and Naomi were reunited. They helped each other through the hardships and losses they experienced, and together they forged one of the strongest bonds I have ever seen. There is no doubt in my mind that Alex and Naomi are meant to be together, that their bond will last an eternity.”

Eternity was a long time, but Alex knew that the love she felt for Naomi would last that long. She had never been more sure of anything in her life, a life she didn’t want to spend without the most important person in her entire world. Now, at long last, the time had come for them to pledge themselves to each other.

Alex was oblivious to the entire world around her except for her one true love as she recited her vows. All she could think about was the life she and Naomi were going to start together. Naomi in turn made her own promises of love and devotion. Alex knew that whatever challenges life threw their way, the vows they were making on this day would withstand the test of time.

As Naomi slid the ring onto her finger, Alex could feel her emotions welling upside her. As she slid the ring onto Naomi’s finger, she felt that at any moment she might burst into tears of joy. This was the happiest moment of her life.

“By the power vested in me by the Sinai Ascendancy,” Raj said once the rings had been exchanged. “And by the grace of God and the Universe, I pronounce you married.”

And with the monk’s proclamation, Alex and Naomi embraced. Naomi nearly swept Alex off her feet as she leaned in to seal their union with a kiss. In that moment, Alex was overcome with joy as she shared that kiss with Naomi.

As their lips parted, Naomi whispered softly into Alex’s ear. “I love you, Alex,” she said.

“And I love you,” Alex said as she fought to hold back the tears of happiness. “Forever and always.”

The two girls embraced again as they prepared to begin the next chapter of their life together. With her wife by her side, Alex knew it and all the chapters that followed would be good ones.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! This was a piece I’ve been sitting on for a long time, and one that took a few months of on and off writing to finish. It ended up being quite a bit shorter than I had originally thought, but I’m happy with how it turned out. I was pretty much always going to write this at some point since I started the Tales & Transmissions series with the story of the day Alex and Naomi got engaged, but I never got around to it because there were other pieces I wanted to have done first to put this one into a better context, and to not spoil those pieces with this one. Specifically, Raj’s profile was probably the biggest one on the list, and I had to get through all the other profiles first. Additionally, over time I had begun to develop Naomi’s family more and the idea for what became the Tales & Transmissions entry Family Ties came to me, so I knew I needed to have that one done before I wrote this for obvious reasons.
> 
> Being so short, I think this piece is pretty self-explanatory. There are some other unexplored things that are briefly touched on here, however. I’ve had a lot of vague ideas about Naomi’s college life floating around in my brain that haven’t manifested themselves into their own pieces yet, and I did come up with some loose character concepts for some friends she made, so I decided to throw them in as Naomi’s half of the wedding party as that just made sense to me.
> 
> In writing this, I had a lot of trouble in some areas. I’ve attended several weddings, but that didn’t really help me much. I did end up skipping over some minute details, such as the exact contents of Alex and Naomi’s wedding vows, because I just didn’t know how I wanted to phrase the dialogue. I think conveying that part of the narrative through Alex’s thoughts and emotions worked pretty well though. In the end, writing about such a happy moment in the lives of two of my favorite characters to write about ended up making me feel happy too, as sappy as that sounds. I hope it can fill you with some happiness as well.


	5. Motherhood

Malchion’s evening sky was buzzing with activity as Alex stepped out of the Institute shuttle port onto the raised walkway suspended high above the planet’s surface. It was starting to get late, and the initial rush of people leaving work was over, but the skylane traffic was just as busy as ever. People always had places to go in huge cities like this one.

Alex was starting to feel a bit tired as she crossed the walkway toward the mag-train station. She had stayed a bit late at the Institute to oversee the completion of a major project in her department, but now she was eager to get home. She was very much looking forward to spending a lovely dinner and a quiet evening with her wife, Naomi.

It had been a couple of years now since they had moved to Malchion together so Alex could begin to work at the Primary Research Institute the way she was supposed to, and this world was finally starting to feel like home. Alex really did love the planet. It had all the thrills and excitements of the big city, but it also had beautiful natural landscapes that reminded her of home.

As she entered the station, Alex sent a message to Naomi via her Pokedex letting her know that she would be getting on the train soon. Naomi replied quickly, saying that she would start cooking dinner so it would be ready when she got home. Alex had told her wife not to wait for her to eat dinner when she found out she was going to be staying at work late, but Naomi had insisted on waiting. Alex certainly didn’t mind; she enjoyed having romantic dinners alone with Naomi in their apartment.

One high-speed mag-train ride later, Alex was walking up to her apartment building. She was glad that she lived so close to the station as it made her commute to work so short. Most of the time it took getting to and from the Institute was spent riding the shuttle between Malchion’s surface and the orbital station where it was housed. After only a few minutes of walking, Alex stepped out of the rapidly cooling night air into the warmth of the lobby. Her high-heeled boots clunked along the marble floor as she crossed the lobby to the elevator. Moments later, Alex entered the apartment she shared with Naomi to see her wife setting the table.

Naomi smiled when she saw Alex. “Welcome home, babe,” she said as she set down the plate she was holding. “How was your day? Everything go okay?”

“Yup,” Alex answered as Naomi walked back to the kitchen counter to fetch the dish of food. “The final tests ran smoothly, so we can begin production soon.”

“That’s great!” Naomi said excitedly as she set the dish down. “Now, get your butt over here.”

Alex took off her suit jacket and laid it on the couch, then walked over to the table. “Something smells good,” she said as she caught a whiff of Naomi’s homemade tomato sauce.

“You’re just in time,” Naomi said. “The lasagna’s hot out of the oven.” She walked over to her wife and greeted her with a kiss. “You’re going to love it.”

“You didn’t have to wait for me, you know,” Alex said as she took her seat.

“I know, but I wanted to,” Naomi replied before pushing Alex’s chair in for her. “And besides, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. What better time than over dinner?”

“Oh?” Alex asked as she watched her wife straighten out her skirt before sitting down herself. “What’s up?”

“There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while and, well, I wanted to get your opinion on it,” Naomi said. She took a bite of her food and looked across the table at Alex as if gauging her mood.

Alex swallowed the bit of lasagna she was chewing on, then asked, “what is it?”

“Well, we’ve been married for a couple of years now, and y’know, I’ve been thinking about what comes next.” Naomi reached across the table and placed her hand over Alex’s. “I’ve actually been thinking about it a lot. Alex, do you want to have a baby?”

The question caught Alex by surprise. The thought had never even crossed her mind. “What?” she asked.

Naomi smiled and squeezed her wife’s hand. “You heard me,” she said. “I want to have a baby with you. You, and me … together. I think we can handle raising a child together, don’t you?”

Alex didn’t know what to say. “I … well, uh, I’ve never thought about it before,” she managed to say. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“Come on,” Naomi said, letting out a laugh. “We’ve been through so much together already, so I think we can handle being moms. What do you say? Wanna give it a shot?”

Alex looked into Naomi’s beautiful green eyes and saw that passion and drive she loved so much. She knew her wife could do anything she set her mind to. If Naomi thought they were ready to have a baby, then Alex had to believe her. A smile appeared on her face. “If you’re up for it, then so am I.”

* * *

“There are several options available to you.”

Naomi sat listening intently to the doctor sitting across from her and Alex. Dr. Campbell, a lovely brunette woman in her early thirties who ran the fertility clinic the two young women were visiting, was currently explaining the means by which Naomi and her wife could have a baby together. Excited and eager to take the dive into motherhood, Naomi was focused on the doctor’s words as she spoke.

“The easiest, most straightforward way is for one of you to carry an egg fertilized with the use of a sperm donor,” the doctor continued. “However, I’m assuming both of you would like to be involved?”

“Of course,” Naomi replied as Alex nodded beside her.

“Yes, I thought so,” Dr. Campbell said. “Given all the technology we have at our disposal in this day and age, most same-sex couples want to go that route. One option is to take an egg from one of you, fertilize it with a donor, and then have the other one of you carry the child to term.”

“It’s my understanding that there’s a way that we could have a child together where both of us are the biological parents,” Naomi said. She had been thinking about having a baby quite some time before mentioning it to Alex; she’d had plenty of time to do her research.

“Yes, I was getting to that,” the doctor said. “The process is a bit more  _involved_ , and you would only be able to have a daughter this way, but it is certainly possible. You can thank centuries of medical advances for that. I won’t bore you with the complexities of the procedure — unless, of course, you want me to — but the simple explanation is that we can take an egg cell from both of you and produce a fertilized egg from them.”

Naomi smiled and squeezed Alex’s hand with excitement. “Please, tell us all about it.”

* * *

“You’re sure about this? You don’t want to think it over more? This is a really big decision, after all.”

“Alex, this is the logical answer,” Naomi told her wife.  _Of course_  Alex was still worrying over the decision, even after they had discussed it many times. “You already have a full-time job, and I’m still working freelance. It just makes sense for me to be the one to carry our baby.”

Alex fell silent and sat herself down beside Naomi on the couch. By the look on her face, Naomi could tell she was thinking things over and considering her words. “I just want to make sure that we make the right choice,” she finally said after several moments passed.

“Trust me,” Naomi said, placing a hand on her wife’s leg. “This  _is_  the right one. Your work at the Institute is super important and you shouldn’t put it on hold for this when I don’t even have a stable job yet. And besides, I can still take freelance work while I’m pregnant and easily work from home. This will be for the best, so please stop worrying about it.”

The worried expression on Alex’s faded, replaced by a smile, and she placed a hand on top of Naomi’s. “Okay,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

Naomi let out a laugh. “No, you don’t need to apologize,” she told Alex. “I know you’re just trying to do what’s best for us. I’m lucky to have someone who cares so much in my life.” She lovingly leaned her head against her wife’s shoulder. “Our baby is going to be lucky to have you too.”

“She’ll be even luckier to have you,” Alex replied.

“She’ll have both of us,” Naomi said. “And we’ll make sure to give her the best life we can.”

Above all else, Naomi wanted their daughter to grow up with both her parents. She didn’t want her to know the pain of growing up with a broken family like she did, like either of them did. Naomi knew that Alex felt the same, and she knew that together they would be able to give their baby girl the life they wished they’d had as children.

As the two of them sat their on the couch together, Naomi savoured the moment as she looked toward the future. She was so ready to start her own family, and she couldn’t ask for a better partner to do it with.

* * *

“Are you nervous?”

“A little bit, yeah.”

Alex took her wife’s hand in her own and gave it a loving squeeze. “I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

Naomi looked back at her and smiled. “I know,” she said. “And that fact alone is really calming my nerves.”

“Well, I’m happy to be here for you,” Alex replied.

The two were sat beside each other in the fertility clinic waiting room, patiently awaiting to be called. Alex couldn’t believe this day was finally here. Today was the day that a piece of her genetic code would be combined with a piece from her wife to create a new life, a life that the two of them would love and care for together.

Even though Naomi would be the one carrying their child, Alex couldn’t help but feel a little nervous herself. That was just the kind of person she was, always worried about the worst possible outcomes when she knew there was no reason to be. She just needed to keep reminding herself that she and Naomi were in Dr. Campbell’s very capable hands and everything would turn out okay.

“What are you thinking about?” Naomi asked. She always was able to tell when Alex was deep in thought.

“I’m just trying to keep calm,” Alex told her wife. “You know how I get.”

“Hey, don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” Naomi said, placing her other hand atop Alex’s. “If anyone should be freaking out, it’s me,” she continued with a laugh. “I’m about to have another life growing inside of me!”

A wide smile formed on Alex’s face. “You were right, you know,” she said.

“About what?” Naomi asked.

“About it being better for you to carry the baby. I  _would_  be freaking out in your shoes. You’re going to handle this better than I ever could.”

Naomi gave Alex’s hand a firm squeeze. “Only because you’re going to help me through it.”

“Hawthorne?”

At the sound of the nurse calling them, the two young women shared a knowing look with each other, then got to their feet. It was finally time.

* * *

The bright rays of Malchion’s sun shone down as Alex jogged across the walkway leading out of the rooftop park near her apartment building with her Umbreon and Houndoom beside her. It was a beautiful weekend day, perfect for exercising with her Pokemon. The neighborhood around her building was quite pretty, and the young Sinai woman loved to spend days like these jogging through it with her four-legged friends. It certainly helped her and her Pokemon stay and shape, but above all the warm breeze rushing through her hair and the warmth of the sun on her skin made her feel so alive.

As she drew near her building, Alex began to slow her pace, lowering her speed to that of a leisurely stroll. She just wanted to savour the outdoors for just a little bit longer. Before heading inside, she gave Ebony and Diablo some loving pets, then recalled them to their Pokeballs. They deserved some rest after all their exercise.

Upon entering the apartment she and Naomi lived in together, Alex grabbed a drink of water from the fridge then walked over to the couch, where her now very pregnant wife sat, chatting on her Pokedex with someone. “Yes, everything is going fine,” she heard Naomi say. “She’s perfectly healthy.”

Seeing Alex return, Naomi gave her a smile and a wave, and signaled that she would be off the call soon. In the meantime, Alex headed into the bedroom and quickly changed into something that wasn’t covered in her sweat. It may have been a lovely day out, but it could get quite hot on Malchion.

“Love you too,” Alex heard her wife say as she walked back out of the bedroom. “Bye.” Naomi then placed her Pokedex down and looked over at Alex. “How was your run, babe?” she asked.

“It was good,” Alex replied before taking another sip of water. “Hot out there.” She then walked over to join Naomi on the couch and gave her a kiss.

“So that was my mom,” Naomi said. “She keeps calling all the time now.” She smiled and let out a laugh. “She’s so excited to have a grandchild on the way.”

Alex smiled back. “I bet she is.”

Naomi took a deep breath and placed her hands on her baby bump, which was quite large now. It was a constant reminder that their baby girl would be with them soon. Alex’s smile widened as she watched her wife sitting there. She couldn’t wait to meet her daughter.

“She keeps asking about what we’re going to name her,” Naomi continued. She looked down at her belly and smiled. “I think I finally know what I want to call her.”

“Oh?” Alex asked as she snuggled up against Naomi. The two of them had discussed names for their daughter a few times over the past few months, but they still hadn’t found the name that was just right.

“Mhm,” Naomi said, nodding. “I want to name her Ellie.”

As soon as she heard the name leave her wife’s lips, Alex knew that it was the one. “It’s beautiful,” she said, placing her hand on Naomi’s thigh. “Ellie it is.”

“I knew you’d think so,” Naomi said, looking back up at Alex. “It’s the perfect name for— Oh!” She suddenly perked up, cutting off her own words.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked, her voice suddenly full of concern.

Naomi shook her head and smiled. “Nothing,” she said. She took Alex’s hand in her own, then placed it on her belly. As soon as her fingers made contact, Alex could feel a soft, rhythmic thumping. “She’s kicking,” Naomi said, her eyes wide with excitement.

Alex couldn’t quite describe it, but she felt herself overcome with joy and wonder. She could feel chills running through her body. This was the first time it really set in that something truly amazing was about to come into her life.

“Do you think she can hear us?” Alex asked, resting her head on her wife’s belly.

“Of course,” Naomi said as she ran her fingers through Alex’s hair.

“Do you think she knows who we are?” Alex asked. She felt her mind going a million miles an hour. “Does she knows she has two moms? Will she know I’m her mom too? Am I even going to be a good mom?”

Naomi just laughed. “Alex, calm down,” she said. “Of course you’re going to be a good mom. I’ve seen the way you care for your Pokemon. I’ve seen you do it for as long as I’ve known you. You’re always fretting over them and making sure they have the best care. You’ve had the instincts of a mother for years.”

Alex looked up at her wife with hopeful eyes. “Do you really think so?”

Naomi smiled and placed a comforting hand on Alex’s back. “I  _know_  so.”

* * *

“And then there’s Aviateon. It’s so cute and fluffy like a cloud and—”

“Wait, Aviateon?” Naomi asked, interrupting her wife. “Like aviation? Are their names all puns?”

An adorable smile appeared on Alex’s face. “Maybe,” she said in a mischievous tone.

Naomi smiled back at Alex. “I love it.”

It was a lovely evening on Malchion, and the two young women had just finished another romantic dinner together. Alex was currently in the middle of telling her pregnant wife all about her latest breakthrough at the Institute as she got everything cleaned up. After months upon months, her department had finally completed its latest project: the development of alternate evolutions for Eevee of every type. With their final breakthrough, Alex’s team had been able to successfully evolve Eevees into every single type.

“I’m glad,” Alex said, a huge grin on her face. She sounded so excited by the completion of the project, and it made Naomi happy to see her wife so happy.

“And I’m glad things are going so well at the Institute,” Naomi said as she got to her feet. She took a step forward to give Alex another congratulatory hug, but suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot through her. Starting to feel lightheaded, Naomi leaned on the table for support.

“Are you okay?” Alex asked, rushing to her wife’s side. “What happened.”

Naomi opened her mouth to speak, but only a pained sound came out as another sharp pain shot through her. “I … “ she eventually managed to grunt out. “I think the baby’s coming.”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked, worried.

“Yes, I’m sure!” Naomi cried out.

The next few seconds, minutes, or even hours were a blur to Naomi. One moment she and Alex were in a skycar, and then they were walking through the hospital. All that she could really focus on were the regular, painful feelings she was experiencing.

She remembered crying out in a room full of doctors and nurses while Alex squeezed her hand tightly. “It’s going to be okay,” she could hear her wife saying. “Just push.”

It was the most intense physical pain Naomi had ever felt. It was so overwhelming. She couldn’t take it anymore. But then everything fell silent and the pain seemed to dull away. And then she heard it, her baby’s cry. It was like the voice of an angel to her ears.

Naomi felt a wave of euphoria wash over her as the doctor placed her baby girl in her arms. “Hey there,” she breathed out softly as the crying infant quieted down. She was smiling from ear to ear as she looked to her wife. “Alex … look,” she said.

In that moment Naomi felt the strongest love she had ever felt before. In that moment, she knew nothing would ever be the same again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mother’s Day everyone! I’d had loose ideas of scenes floating around my head for quiet a while of various moments in Alex and Naomi’s life together as they became parents, but when I realized Mother’s Day was coming up, I knew I had to synthesize them into an actual post. I’m so happy with how it turned out.
> 
> I think this piece is rather straightforward, but there are some fun and/or interesting bits in here that are worth discussing. Research is already happening today on ways for same-sex couples to be able to have biological children together, so I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that over one-thousand years into the future in a space setting that this is actually a thing that can happen now. I did some reading around the internet for this piece so I could try to be as grounded in reality as possible.
> 
> This piece is gives us another appearance of Malchion, which has appeared briefly in another Tales & Transmissions piece. Malchion is the site of the Primary Research Institute, the Federation research facility that H founded after the end of the original campaign. It’s also where Alex and Naomi moved after Naomi finished school, since Alex was in charge of the Institute’s Pokemon research branch.
> 
> Speaking of which, the GM and I established shortly after the end of the original campaign that one of Alex’s big projects was the development of Eeveelutions of every type. The PTU devs had already done the legwork, making them an option in the sci-fi splat book (and they named them all using puns, which I thought was perfect for Alex). I decided to work that in at the end because when I mentioned a project when I started writing this piece. As I was writing I was thinking of what the project actually was, and then it hit me that this was obviously it.
> 
> I was actually originally planning this piece to go for a few more scenes with Alex and Naomi experiencing being moms, but after writing the birth scene, it just made sense to end it on that note. It’s just such a perfect ending. Overall, I’m really happy with how this turned out and I hope you enjoyed reading it.


	6. Rematch

The two beasts breathed heavily, locked together in laboring combat under the heat of the stadium lights. It was close, as both sides were down to their last Pokemon, but the Nidoking did not have the upperhand here.

“We need to knock it out! Seize the moment with Focus Blast!” shouted the Federation champion.

The Nidoking complied, but its attack merely grazed the great bear. Rapidly losing steam, it tried to follow up with a Sludge Bomb, but the Ursaring Bulldozed right through it. Had it more energy, it could have withstood the assault and countered, but as it was ...

* * *

**June 3635**

“Good fight,” Guy King half-whispered as he recalled his Pokemon. His opponent, Rodya Antonov, was basking in the cheers of the crowd. Guy didn’t particularly mind; win or lose, he still enjoyed Pokemon battling. There was no point in being sore about it.

Antonov, however, was clearly enjoying himself. “And _that_ is why we are better than the Federation!” There was some jeering at Guy now, but that happened whenever the home team won. Antonov continued to stoke the audience, then singled out the one person sitting in the second row not participating in the volume: a young school-age girl, sitting calmly and writing diligently into her notebook.

“You there! Little girl!” he pointed. She blinked. “Da! You! Are you taking notes?”

“Da. For school. History paper,” the girl shouted back.

“History, indeed!” Antonov laughed. “Be sure to include how impressive it was when the great Rodya Antonov crushed the best weakling the Federation had to offer!”

Then again, some losses stung more than others. Guy simply turned around and walked off the stage towards Ambassador Smirnitsky. He was ready to go home.

* * *

**August 3635**

Guy walked into the diner and took a seat. It wasn’t crowded, but it had a good reputation among the locals— the perfect blend of good food and some peace and quiet.

“I’ll have the usual, Jacob, thanks,” he said, leaning back and turning his head to the news.

“Meanwhile, enrollment in Pokemon training academies all around the Federation has doubled, with pressure to find new blood for the next Galactic Battling Championship to go up against record breaking, two-time winner Rodya Antonov. Many institutions, such Stone Academy, have offered official statements regarding new three year programs that will have students ready in time for the Sixth—”

The monitor switched off. “Sorry about that,” Jacob said as he brought the meal over. “Must be rough, hearing that all day.”

It was a record that could have just as easily belonged to Guy King. Prior to the Fifth Galactic Battling Championship, both combatants had won the championship once: King in ‘27 and then Antonov four years later. Guy had missed that one for his son’s college graduation. Whoever won this match would have been the first person to win the championship twice. And that winner ended up being Antonov.

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind,” Guy said as he began eating. “It was a fun battle, even if he could use an attitude adjustment.”

“Oh yeah? You think any of those newbies will be up to the task?”

Guy frowned slightly. “I don’t know … too green, if you ask me. Besides, I’m not done with professional battling yet. Who knows.” His frown morphed into a grin. “There’s always the record of _three_ championships.”

“Now _there’s_ the Guy I remember!”

The once and future champion quickly yet quietly finished his cheesesteak. Jacob could tell he was contemplating his training regiment. “Listen, if you want, I know of a remote world out in the Rim. It’s got hard conditions, powerful wild Pokemon, and few people to bother you. Good place to disappear for the next four years.”

* * *

**April 3636**

Wake at dawn. Eat. Feed his Pokemon. Hike up into the mountains. Clear all the wild Pokemon there. Then, get to work for real.

Guy King’s routine had varied little since he came to Tau VI. At the moment he was thinking about the coming battle against his rival while his Nidoking used Earth Power to dislodge some rock chunks out of the mountain. In terms of battling styles, the two could not have been more different; Guy specialized in battling with one Pokemon at a time, usually his signature Pokemon, Nidoking, building up momentum as the battle raged on, pressing his advantages. Antonov, meanwhile, preferred to rotate through his team quickly and frequently over short periods of time.

His Nidoking, having finished its work, moved into position. Guy sent out the rest of his Pokemon, and ordered them to begin benching the rocks, which proved to be quite difficult in Tau VI’s heightened gravity. Afterwards, they each hurled their rocks off the ledge, resulting in a hefty set of thuds a fair distance off. Peeking over the ledge, he saw that they landed marginally further than they had yesterday. He simply sighed.

After a couple more hours, he decided to head back to the outpost to rest his weary Pokemon.

* * *

**September 3638**

Simone Perry was the woman the Galactic Battling Committee put in charge of organizing next year’s event, and she had come to this planet while on a break from venue searching. It had certainly proved to be a frustrating task, as last time the Romanovs hosted the championship in their new shiny and monumental stadium on their capital world Mir Zimoy. The structure itself was a marvel of engineering and its message had been quite clear. Now that it was the Federation’s turn to host, she had to find a way to one-up the Supremacy, or she would be letting a lot of people down.

But that was neither here nor there at the moment, for she was visiting on request of a former champion. It was an opportunity of reprieve from her recent list of headaches, so she had agreed to meet him. After taking a skycar over the jungle valleys to the specified mountaintop, she found the man in question training his Pokemon. He appeared rugged and unkempt, sporting a wild and graying beard that made it difficult to recognize him as Guy King at first glance. After a brief introduction, they got down to business.

“So, in short, you want me to arrange a rematch between you and Rodya Antonov,” Perry summarized. “I’m sorry, but I can’t just give you a free pass over all the other contenders looking to participate. You’ll have to earn your spot just like everyone else.”

King hadn’t even paused his training. Now, his Pokemon were each practically juggling massive boulders with their strikes. “Believe me,” he responded. “It’s not me I’m worried about. I’d just hate to have gone all this distance just for Antonov to be a no-show. Make no mistake, I want to make sure _he_ gets _his_ spot.”

Perry sat there thinking for a minute while King ordered his Pokemon to launch the boulders as far as they could. She casually glanced to see how far they went, and when her eyes ran down the long line of stones as it gradually got smaller and closer to the ledge, she saw a grin of satisfaction stretch across King’s face.

He was ready.

“Alright, King,” she began. “I’ll talk to Ambassador Smirnitsky, and if he agrees and can convince the Romanovs, then maybe — and that is a lot of maybes — we can see about holding the finalist tryouts in advance.”

“Thanks,” King said. “Listen, we still have a lot of energy left, so we’re going to head down into the jungle and fight some of the bigger alphas down there. Care to join?”

Perry eyed the valley. It was a very primitive and rugged planet, all things considered, and she would never want to live here, but she had to admit the scenic view and crisp mountain air were quite pleasant. The nature was a nice change of pace from all of the sterile, high-tech facilities and venues she had visited over the last few months.

“No thanks, I should get going,” she answered. She moved toward her skycar to return to the spaceport, then turned her head back. “You know, King, I don’t think you’ve ever fought a championship match where you had the home field advantage …”

* * *

**June 3639**

The Sixth Galactic Battling Championship was perhaps the most anticipated match in the event’s two decade history. Both governments had agreed to a special grudge match between Guy King and Rodya Antonov, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the very first championship match back in ‘19.

And so, KING V ANTONOV 3639 banners flew high over the portable venue constructed for the event. Airships with huge open window compartments containing audience seats filled with excited spectators floated over and around the mountaintop. On the actual surface rested a large, flat antigrav panel, with just enough power to compensate for Tau VI’s unusually strong gravity. Forcefield projectors acted as safety guards protecting anyone from falling over the edges.

The two men stepped onto the platform, and, this time, it was Antonov’s turn to be jeered at. He seemed to pay the crowd no mind, instead turning to Guy. “Ready to be crushed again?”

Guy responded with a thrown Pokeball and the match began.

Guy sent out his Venusaur to scout, while Antonov matched with an Altaria. The humming Pokemon flared up its fluff to defend itself, but the Venusaur opened with a Toxic, poisoning the Pokemon through its defenses.

“Hold your attacking pose!” instructed the opponent. “You must be prepared to strike!”

The Altaria complied and positioned itself, then used Ominous Wind. A dark haze surrounded the arena, filling the Pokemon with an aura of power. The seed Pokemon, however, was filled only with pain.

“Venusaur! Hit it with Venoshock!”

The Venusaur charged at the bird, expelling its venom, and the Altaria shrieked in agony. It’s piercing song hurt all of their ears, and Guy realized that both Pokemon would lose consciousness soon.

“Grab it with your vines! Don’t let it get away!”

The Venusaur moved to grapple, but the Altaria evaded the vines and flew up out of reach. An afterimage surrounded it as it used Substitute.

“Venusaur! Sludge Bomb!”

“Quick! Return!” Antonov reflexively recalled his Pokemon before the attack hit, then threw out another Pokeball in one fluid motion. “You’re up next! Tag in!”

The Substitute was still up, so Guy could not see what the Pokemon was, but it did not seem to take any damage from the Sludge Bomb. _It must be a Steel type, then_ , he thought to himself.

The mystery Pokemon stared the Venusaur down so that it could not escape the effects of the Perish Song.

“We need to find out what that Pokemon is! Use Frenzy Plant! Try to break that Substitute!”

The Grass type threw down a colossal vine and the hit connected, but it didn’t do as much damage as he hoped it would and the Venusaur let out a cry as it fell to the song still ringing in its ears.

Guy knew from his last match against Antonov that the man’s Pokemon gained strength from switching, that the trainer was capable of transferring effects in a manner similar to the move Baton Pass. But that momentum could be turned on itself, and Guy had caught a Pokemon since their last fight that could help him do exactly that.

“Malamar! I choose you!” Substitutes weren’t a problem for Malamar, who had the ability to bypass them completely. “Use Topsy-Turvy!”

A strange energy surrounded the not-Altaria, and while Guy still couldn’t see through the afterimage, he _could_ see his rival’s confident smirk turn upside down. _It looks like your Pokemon wasn’t the only thing that went topsy-turvy,_ Guy quietly chuckled to himself.

“Time to end this charade! Use Night Slash!” Antonov shotued.

 _Well that settles it then_. “Hit it with Superpower!”

The two Pokemon collided, and the Substitute shattered, revealing a Bisharp!

“Night Slash!” both men cried.

The two Pokemon continued to duel one another with their jabs and slashes. Once the Bisharp managed to parry the Malamar’s remaining uses of Superpower, the two were fairly evenly matched. Bisharp resisted Malamar’s available attacks, but it was also having trouble making any significant progress against the overturning Pokemon. Suddenly, Antonov swapped his Pokemon again.

“Tag in! Hit it with Moonblast!”

The debuffs from Topsy-Turvy carried over, limiting the damage Malmar received but it was still a fair hit. The Altaria then immediately fainted from its poison. Antonov sent out Bisharp again.

 _Clever,_ Guy noted. _He’s transferring debuffs to his Pokemon that’s already about to faint._

Free from its afflictions, the Bisharp began to fare better. The Malamar was able to land a couple more hits, but it ultimately fell to the sword blade Pokemon.

“Alright, it’s down to you,” Guy clutched his last pokeball. “Nidoking!”

The Nidoking landed with a mighty roar and used Earth Power, taking the Bisharp down immediately. Antonov grimaced as he sent out his Ursaring.

_He’s out of Pokemon to swap with!_

The two beasts came at one another with a mighty ferocity, their deep snarls echoing over the mountaintops, drowning out even the cheers above. The platform shook under their weight as they each struggled with one another to gain the upper hand. Suddenly, the Ursaring threw a staggering Ice Punch right into Nidoking’s gut. It was a painful blow, but the drill Pokemon simply rolled with the hit, spinning into a counter-twirl and hitting back with a Focus Blast with plenty of momentum to spare.

“Now! Seize the moment with Fire Blast!”

The fiery attack managed to hit the bear right where it hurt the most. The Nidoking roared triumphantly, gaining a second wind and shrugging off its injuries. It then began to use alternating attacks against the Ursaring, beating it back across the platform to the opposite edge.

 _This is it!_ “Seismic Toss!”

The Nidoking grabbed the Ursaring. The great bear landed an Ice Punch on its shoulder in response, but the signature Pokemon simply ignored the pain, focusing solely on its attack. It flipped the Ursaring over, and, in one solid motion, hurled the Pokemon back across the stage. There was a flash of light for a brief moment as the barriers strained to contain it, and then it slid back down onto the platform.

It did not get back up.

The audience above them erupted into cheers and applause. Antonov sighed and recalled his Pokemon, then walked up to Guy.

A few seconds passed as the two men stared each other in the eyes. Antonov spoke.

“You are strong.”

Guy smiled, and shook Rodya’s hand.

“You, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spacemon's GM actually wrote this one, inspired by my surprise announcement of Tales & Transmissions. As with other Spacemon pieces not written by me (although I did play a major role in editing this one), I'm posting this here with author permission. The rest of the notes here are written by the GM.
> 
> I sort of just decided the write this spur of the moment and blitzkrieged it on my day off of work, but I had been thinking about the timeline between campaigns and the Galactic Battling Championship for some time now.
> 
> Basically, the GBC happens every four years and is the only time the Federation and the Romanovs have any real diplomatic communications. It’s sort of like a mix of the Olympics, the World Chess Championship during the Cold War, and Rocky IV. Astute observers may have noticed a few nods and cameos; I hid a lot in here so try to find as many as you can!
> 
> I wanted to really capture a professional match in writing with this. Not just the Pokemon but the trainers as well; in PTU characters can have trainer classes that influence their battling styles, and they can even make use of certain features and actions on their own to support their Pokemon. I built both trainers beforehand, selecting classes that both made for an interesting narrative as well as really contrasting with each other.


	7. The Protogé

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written by Shane's player, but I am posting it here with his permission.

“This is a glorious day for all of mankind, throughout the Galaxy,” the Director said to the crowd of people flooding the sun-baked streets of Malchion. The already bustling Federation city was even more crowded with tourism, with many dignitaries from across the Galaxy there in person to witness the grand commencement and opening of the Primary Research Institute, currently orbiting the planet.

It had been a few years since the crew of the  _Helix_ brokered an uneasy (and conditional) peace agreement with the Mewtwos, and Humanity was celebrating the first steps in its own path to redemption. Shane sat onstage alongside Dmitri, Alex, and H, who begrudgingly had worn pants today. There was an empty chair between them, reserved for Morgan, but she desperately didn’t want to be part of the ceremony — not if it meant being on television for the entire Galaxy to see.

The chairman finished his speech to a roaring applause and offered up the floor to the person who would pioneer and lead the Institute. H sprang up and made his way to the podium with purpose, his lab coat cleaner than usual.

After fiddling with the microphone for a bit and prolonging the hushed silence of the crowd, the cyborg finally spoke up. “You people expect me to give a speech. Frankly, I don’t see the point, but I’ll indulge you nonetheless.”

H straightened his lab coat before continuing. “I’m not a diplomat, I’m a scientist, and science is exactly what this research institute is dedicated to. Together, we will uncover the secrets of the Universe, and transcend Humanity into a new era of technology, ever striving for perfection in ourselves, our work, and our very reality. Thank you. End of story. Good night.”

H abruptly walked away from the podium, to a mixed reaction from the crowd. The Director, thinking quickly, took control of the podium and sheepishly tried to inspire the crowd again.

“That went better than expected,” Shane said quietly to H as he reclaimed his seat on the edge of the stage.

“Of course it did. What did you expect?”

“I expected it to be … longer.”

* * *

The festivities went on, as numerous influential researchers came to give speeches, or announce their honor of working in the new facility, or both. Eventually, the applause died down, and the crowds began filtering out of the cordoned-off area reserved for the announcement. A shuttle ride later, Shane stepped inside the ornate space station, admiring the shiny new atmosphere of it all, before a familiar military face approached him.

“Everything you hoped for?” Grand Admiral White asked.

“Admiral White?” Shane asked, surprised.

“Relax, kid, I’m retired.” White replied. There was a hint of relief in his voice, almost as if he was tired of the ongoing tensions with the Supremacy. “There isn’t much to look forward to after helping broker the biggest damn peace treaty in the history of the Galaxy, now is there?”

“I … I guess not, huh?” Shane admitted. “So what are you doing here?”

“The Federation pulled out all the stops for this; I’m just here to witness a job well done. I sure as hell hope it’s worth it.”

“I’m sure we’ll manage,” Shane said as he watched H haphazardly take inventory of many sciencey and … non … sciencey apparatuses in the main research hall. “But more importantly, about—”

“Your station? Don’t go thinking we forgot, now.” The Admiral strode his way towards a holographic projector and pulled up some specs on a very peculiar looking space station. “The base design is currently under construction, and as per your instructions, it’s entirely modular so you can expand it however you see fit, when the time comes.”

“This is … this is magnificent,” Shane said, admiring the blueprints.

“And you have a hell of a knack for acronyms, don’t you?” The admiral chuckled. “The  _Virtuous Observatory of Infinite Dimensions?_ I couldn’t have thought of that in a lifetime.”

“Well, I certainly look forward to working there,” Shane said eagerly.

“And I certainly look forward to what you lot can accomplish,” White said as he turned to leave. “I’m sure you heroes can make the Federation proud. God knows you already have.”

* * *

It turned out to be a big station. Even the initial construction felt gargantuan, especially for a single person walking about the wide open workspaces. The  _VOID_  itself was equipped with a series of powerful warp drives and enough materials for Shane to reasonably begin working on whatever projects he saw fit. The priority, though, would be getting the infrastructure up and running for a larger crew, and ensuring that the station was self-sufficient. That meant figuring out a way to make extended warp exposure viable, getting the crew quarters set up, checking and double checking the systems so nothing went wrong in warp space, leaving them stranded.

It also meant hydroponics.

Lots of the grunt work around the station could easily be done with machines or even low-level AI like what was currently possible, bar two individuals, but living things — like plants — required at least some level of attention that was impossible to automate.

He made his way to the biosphere on the “top” level of the station. Ideally, the station would be stratified by how deep in warp it was, but as of yet, Shane had no way of determining if such a feat was even possible. Opening the door, he walked out onto the lush fields, basking in the soft glow of a distant sun. Even now, before most of the plants had even grown much, it already looked beautiful. Shane pressed a button and the sprinkler system activated.

Despite his supposed history, Shane hadn’t actually done any gardening. And yet, the work came surprisingly easy. With all of the technology available in this day and age, it was less hassle trying to grow something as it was trying to keep something else from growing instead. Every few weeks, or when he needed a break from something elsewhere on the  _VOID_ , he would come here and find that somehow a new, undesirable strain of plant had taken root somewhere in the premises. Diligently, he removed the intruding flora, before relaxing in the most natural feeling place on the station.

That said, the station got ridiculously lonely at times. Even with his pokemon and the occasional message from one of his friends and former crewmates somewhere in the Galaxy, most of the time Shane couldn’t get over the fact that he was the only person there.

He couldn’t wait for some company to arrive.

* * *

Jacqueline “Jackie” Evinar sat fidgeting in the shuttle, barely containing her excitement as it began docking with the  _VOID._ The Alliance woman was too young to have lived through the devastation of Harmonia, but old enough to idolize the heroes of that struggle with the Angels; due to her partial Sinai heritage she had to keep reminding her parents that’s not what they were called anymore. She looked around at the other rookie scientists who were eager to begin working alongside one of the legends from decades ago. Of all of the  _Helix_ ’s crew, Shane was the one she looked up to the most — she remembered the first time she went to the museum and saw the actual ship, and what remained of the warp lab there — and she wanted to be just like the teleporting badass that the Spacenet depicted him as. Everyone at her university knew of him, herself included, and  _identified_  with the young kid. She knew most of the Spacenet had to be taken with a grain of salt, but that hadn’t stopped her from having a secret and unfulfillable crush on him.

 _I mean, if he’s even a kid anymore. It’s been what, almost 50 years?_   _He probably has kids of his **own** at this point._ The shuttle lurched as it came to a stop in the hangar, and everyone began standing up and gathering their belongings. She followed the crowd off the ship and into the lobby of sorts, admiring the sleek design of the station before stopping dead in her tracks along with the rest of the newbies.

Standing in front of them all was a blue-haired kid, just like all of the holo-exhibits and Spacenet depictions.  _That couldn’t be Shane, could it?_  A brief introduction from him confirmed their suspicions.  _Unfair! He looks just like he did decades ago! What the hell!?_

“Ladies and gentlemen, scientists of the Federation, I’m glad you all could make it,” Shane said, interrupting many of the slack jaws in the audience. “I want to welcome you, as the first generation of researchers aboard this station besides myself, to the  _VOID_. If you wouldn’t mind following me please.”

Jackie followed the other starry-eyed students from across the Galaxy as they all crammed into what appeared to be a large elevator at the far end of a garden that took up most of the visible station.  _That’s odd. If all of us are just gonna be working on plants in this tiny station, that’s gonna suck. I definitely didn’t sign up for that._ “Where does this go?” she asked. “The station looked pretty small on approach; is an elevator really necessary?”

Shane smiled and pressed a button on a console in the center of the platform. “You’d be surprised.” Within moments, the corners of the platform began to glow a vibrant purple, and an ethereal barrier surrounded the elevator. There was no feeling of movement, the station they were in just seemed to melt away, replaced by what appeared to be a sprawling bunker. Jackie looked down all four of the visible hallways as they materialized and saw them disappear in a maze of doors and turns. Murmurs of confusion rose from the crowd, as all of them asked some variation of “what the hell just happened?”

“As you can see, most of the station itself is permanently anchored in warp space. This is the topmost layer, just above what ships usually use to travel long-distance without a gate, but functionally equivalent. If you look outside, you may even still see stars. There are currently three floors below us, each even deeper in warp. Should we need to go even deeper, new floors will be constructed to accommodate.”

Jackie’s head was already spinning, going over the implications. All of this was possible,  _theoretically,_  but actually seeing her thesis work applied like this made her absolutely awestruck. Actually standing here was an experience that was completely foreign to her, and she began to think of possibilities for future offshoots, applications, and advances.

“One thing I should warn you about, though. Extended periods of time spent in warp space does have a strong potential for adverse side effects. Breaks will be mandatory, and if you see someone struggling to cope, I recommend you help them upstairs for all of our sakes.”

* * *

Coffee.

Jackie emerged from her stasis pod physically refreshed, but mentally lacking. Grumbling, she made her way to the Garden Level and made herself some breakfast, joined alongside some of the other early risers. The pods were a blessing of technology: mitigating the effects of warp and providing the body with the amount of sleep it required to function optimally. From the user’s perspective, nothing was noticeable except for an eight-hour lapse in memory. Occasionally, she’d make her way to the warp recovery ward when it wasn’t in use for the chance to sleep in an actual bed. She missed being able to dream.

Across the table, two of the other scientists were joking around, talking about some harebrained scheme to prank the new recruits. She rolled her eyes and ignored them — they’d be gone soon if they kept that up. Integrity and professionalism were two of the things that PRI scientists prided themselves on.

A week into their training, several of the 50 initial recruits had been sent home, for medical reasons or poor behavior.

By the end of the month, only half the original staff remained, and the second wave of new recruits were coming in.

A year in, she was among the twelve elite scientists who were on the  _VOID_  since the beginning.

Soon there would be ten. She was glad to have made friends with the lucky ones.

Finishing her humble meal, she made her way in earnest to the lower levels, where she had been studying the unique properties offered in deep warp that were unavailable to the upper floors. Shane had shown her his custom-built gauntlet, and she found it incredible. A miniature warp drive capable of creating isolated tears in warp, portals to the deepest parts of warp and back for instant travel.

Jackie was one of the few interested enough to pursue this particular field, most of the rookies and other scientists were busy with gravity field manipulation and non-euclidean geometry (the station had enough of that to be sure). In addition, Shane seemed to trust her more than the others. When asked, he said nothing beyond the fact that she “reminded him of an old friend.”

Walking into the room, she was surprised to see Shane waiting for her, young as always. He had a stern look on his face, and Jackie couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread looming over her.

“I need to ask you something,” Shane said, standing up from the workbench he was leaning against.

“What is it?” Jackie asked, concerned. The door closed behind her and she positioned herself across the table from Shane instinctively. Her off-hand glided to her Pokéball just in case. She hadn’t needed them in a long time; she had traded away all but her favorite Gastly and Spearow. “Am I in trouble?”

“No, of course not,” Shane responded. “I was just wondering why you are here.”

“Excuse me?”

“What to you seek to gain from working here? You are very driven and I can see that, but I want to know if it’s for the right reasons.”

Jackie hesitated.  _What do I want? I’ve only been here for a year, and I’ve already learned so much, I want to keep learning and exploring all the—_

 _“_ That’s fine. Your silence speaks volumes,” Shane said, turning his attention to the various pristine instruments on the countertop.

“What, so now you’re a psychic? You didn’t even give me time to answer!” Jackie looked annoyed at the prospect of being ignored. She stormed around the table to face him and barely restrained from knocking the equipment from his hands (because they were  _hers_  and they cost a  _fortune_ ). “How the hell do you think you can just ‘read’ people like that?”

“I don’t. I was looking for a practiced answer, and I’m glad you didn’t have one.”

“Wait, what?”

“There was an attempted attack on the main branch of the Institute.” Shane looked deadly serious. He set down the device he was holding, a datapad showing an unpublished report about the incident. “This only just came to my attention, so I haven’t thoroughly vetted the researchers already on board, but better security measures are to be put in place.”

Jackie read the article, ignoring the conversation Shane was continuing to carry on. There was video,  _live feed_  of a series of massive explosions between the PRI Station and the surface, igniting a crimson hole in the sky.  _This is happening NOW._ The blast radius looked devastating, as clouds of dust visible from orbit covered the planet. Digits were being added to the casualty projection with each passing second. Speculation was rampant about what sort of weapons were used and how they were launched from the surface without anyone knowing. But amidst all the chaos, one name stood out: Al Magenim. Supposedly, they were some shady organization claiming to be responsible, but nobody knew what the terrorists were trying to prove, or why they would even attempt such a catastrophe. It was only when she heard her own name that Jackie looked up from the datapad. Instinctively, she responded with a queried “Yes?”

“Now that you’ve had time to think, what’s your answer? What keeps you here?” She looked at Shane and saw that his expression was much gentler. Relaxed. Curious. Her mind, on the other hand, was still reeling from the devastation tion she just witnessed. She opened her mouth to attempt an answer, just as the doors opened.

The duo turned to see another scientist, about 3 months in, panicking. “Sir? We have a bit of a situation on Level 2. One of the psych researchers locked herself in the auxiliary generator room on that floor. We only just found out because she was screaming like a madman. Mad...woman. Whatever.” He swallowed, noticing the pair’s proximity, and became rather unsure of himself. “Am … am I interrupting something?

He was left without an answer as Shane and Jackie ran past him to the elevator, soon traversing the twisting halls of Level 2 with practiced ease. The struggle was over nearly as soon as it began. Jackie had heard of the exploits of the blue-haired boy, but seeing his skills in action was a bit … underwhelming. He jumped — well, shifted — into the room behind the mad scientist and, with a single Thunderwave, she was detained. It was strange for Jackie to witness, it was almost as if the world just momentarily forgot where Shane was supposed to be.

After the incident, he pulled Jackie aside to resume the conversation from earlier. “As I was about to say, with more and more people joining our team each month, we are getting to the point where I can’t oversee all of them. All of the Senior researchers are taking responsibility for recruits from the floors they’ve decided to work on, and you’re the only one regularly so deep in warp.”

“That being the case, it’d be hard to say no.”

Shane smiled, and began walking down the hallway to the elevator, motioning for Jackie to follow. “In that case, I’d like to show you something very few people have seen. Perhaps it will shed some light on your current research.”

* * *

The elevator shook violently as its two passengers held on to the interior guardrails, separated from the outside warp energy by what seemed like a relatively thin screen of reinforced glass surrounding them, barely visible, if at all. Purple particles of light danced around them on all sides, visible through the panoramic window, as they went deeper.  _Deeper. **Deeper.**_

The blue-haired kid smiled as a familiar feeling washed over him. Jackie, on the other hand, barely struggled to contain her lunch as she was bombarded with the strangest feelings she’d ever felt. The platform they stood on seemed to expand indefinitely, and yet she felt a strong sense of claustrophobia. The entire ordeal was nauseating in a number of ways. The air lurched to a halt as they arrived at their destination, and Jackie promptly threw up in the paper bag she was thankful she remembered. After recovering a bit, she looked around and asked “Where … are we?”

Outside, it was impossible to tell. There was no light, not even the twinkling of the Warp she had learned so much about. It was cold, and dark, and she had the feeling that they both were being watched. Shane let go of the guardrail and approached the precipice. “This is the heart of the Warp, and the true namesake of this station. Welcome to the Void.”

A feeling of awe and insight filled the newcomer, but it was quickly replaced by trepidation. “This … this is nothing like the Warp upstairs. This is …”

She hesitated as she saw Shane hold his hand up to the edge, pressing against nothing as if it were solid. It looked as if he was calling out to something in the abyss. For the first time, Jackie noticed a tattoo wrapped around Shane’s forearm, its faint golden patterns swirling and spiraling down towards his palm in an almost tribal fashion, ending with Sinai script that wrapped around his wrist.  _He who is Everywhere is Nowhere._

Shane smiled with sadness in his eyes, and said, “It’s been a long time. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shane's player's notes: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
> 
> I am bad at planning things. This was originally intended to be written between series 1 and 2, outlining a minor NPC for the new game and the passing of responsibility from Shane to another. It took far longer than I had intended, mainly because I only really worked on it sporadically and even then was only inspired to add more every so often. The ending is the first thing I wrote, and everything revolved around it as I struggled to fill in all the relevant plot, working with the the GM and DisturbedShadow to hammer out the details in a way that was canonically consistent. Even now it seems like it’s just a bit too short — there’s a lot of minor things that I wanted to include, but found no way to fit them into the narrative in a reasonable fashion.
> 
> But hey. At some point you have to keep perfection from being the enemy of good enough. I’m done writing this piece and having ideas for it linger unused in the back of my head. Perhaps I’ll write another thing for Spacemon, but for now I feel like I’m good just editing things for Blueshift. That minor commitment to a fantastic alt-universe is something I can get behind.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.
> 
> My notes: So, as Shane's player said, this was intended to be thing in between the first series and the sequel series. That campaign is long underway, so while we didn’t get the benefit of having this written, all you readers will still get to since It’ll be a long while yet before those chapters start posting. The funny thing is that he intended this originally as a surprise eight profile (and yeah I can’t judge him for taking so long since I’ve still got two of those left to write over a year later), but once I had the idea for the Tales & Transmissions series, it made sense to rebrand it because it’s so far down the timeline. Just to give you an idea of timeline placement, the first couple of scenes take place a few years after the events of the original series, while most of the others take place almost 50 years down the line.


End file.
